Mickeyspot

psd class

2010-09-04T12:02:00.000+08:00

If I Wish Hard Enough.

2010-08-03T23:12:00.000+08:00

I woke up at 1PM yesterday, and the first thing I hear in consciousness is Kayley Williams singing about how if she could "pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars", and how she could really "use a wish right now." It's not the best thing to wake up to in the morning, especially on days when you've remembered how although you have to live with the decisions you've made, you'll always for at least a singular moment wish you could turn back time. The fact of the matter is, it's easier to want to undo past mistakes than to hope for a better future.

Before I go on any further then, I'd just like to give a shout out to my neighbor, the pubescent pseudo cool kid: Fuck You and your BOB feat. Hayley Williams mp3. You're the cause of half of today's crushing hopelessness and soul searing depression. Thank You!

The irony of hope is that it is anchored so strongly on a notion of belief in humanity's capability. A doctor's skills give hope to a dying man, a professor's knowledge gives hope to an ignorant student, a stranger's kindness gives hope to a downtrodden victim, or a mother's love gives hope to a wounded child. In truth, how much of man's capability can I truly trust? It's nice to read and discuss how utopian a religious humanistic ethical world would be, that there is no need to fear the future because we have been equipped by a higher power with the tools to navigate the unknown, where even if the doctor's skills fail the dying man, there is always the possibility of a medical researcher finding a better cure, or a better doctor with better skills, and when all else fails we believe in the love of a divine to guide us through troubling times, and at the last moment, we believe the divine will lead us to paradise. This religious humanistic outlook seems so beautiful, but there is always the possibility that prior to the last moment, no one is truly there for me in times of despair, neither researcher, doctor, nor God.

My problem is that in this view where most people see God as the focal point of hope, where most pray for help, knowing to themselves that they can be helped by grace or divine intervention, and through this they are able to believe in human capability graced by God. They believe in the doctor's skills, or the researchers talents only through the looking glass of a "graced by the divine." The problem being that they set a dichotomy to human capability. If their prayers are answered, whether by profound or profane means, it was the will of God. God chose to heal the dying man. We can hope in God. If the dying man died, whether by human error or natural cause, then either it was the will of God, or there is the despair alternative which brings about the valid question, "why would God not heal this dying man, but He would save others?" Couldn't it be the case that it was merely nature, unadulterated natural law, combined with the skills of the practitioners that calculated the chance of survival of the dying man? It makes more sense. It's the same equation, except without the "will of God" component at the end. It makes more sense that those who didn't die aren't alive because of God's random action, rather the random coming together of variables that determined whether he lived or died. The previous "will of God" assumption states that the Divine is random. Saying that random healing is part of His plan would be ridiculous because there is no definitive pattern, unless He is meddling in human history, and is thus meddling in free will. The Divine cannot be random. If God is playing human lottery, he is divorcing us from our individual traits, treating us like a faceless crowd. There is no love in that, no cura personalis. If God is love, then the God of random healing is not my God.

With that in place, wouldn't it be better to assume that God left us in a dynamic world to work with ourselves along with others? When I say with others, does that mean that I can still hope in the capability of others? My problem again though is how to trust the others. Humankind is as dynamic as the world he lives in. There are a million ways to answer a single question when humanity doesn't limit itself. The problem is, sometimes there is only one right answer. Aside from the obvious fact that in the case of the dying man, the doctor has the capability to take care of the dying man, there is only one correct path to keeping him alive, and a million other ways to lead him to his death. One question yields a million possible answers, one path is a series of critical questions. The statistics seem to be against life.

I'll stop at that for now so I can return to how this has anything to do with my current situation. I am at that crossroad where I realize that the previous decisions I have made have led me to be someplace I did not expect to be. I can do nothing but live with whatever lays ahead of me, but the road forks out some more. I am afraid because so far I haven't been making the right decisions. I don't trust myself. I degress. I sit on the road, close my eyes, and pray. I pray He leads my way, although I don't really believe he should.

My prayer is an airplane.

Divine intervention is my shooting star.

I could really use a wish right now.

The problem with my belief is that the shooting star can never be there. It can never exist. I hope someone else understands how hopeless that makes me. I am desolate. I am in decay. I cannot hope. I can only do the best I can. I can only hope in death. In death, my God has me in his arms, and I need not worry.

Post Mortem 3

2010-05-08T11:29:00.000+08:00

We were both silent. Inside our hearts we had a million things to say; fresh wounds that bleed out the blood of spent time, of love shared, and of the oneness of souls. Life to a relationship.

I wanted to say so much about how I had loved her, and how I miss her so very badly.

She wanted to say how much time they had spent laughing together, of all the intimate knowledge of each other that only each has known of the other.

"Mike, look for a prayer na. We need to start praying later... but he has to know first. He has to know before we start praying."

The Missa pro defunctis. The Requiem in D minor. The finished portion an Aeterna; Glory to God and His creation! There is so much of life to live! This, an understanding of the vastness and majesty of creation. This was a rendering of hope, and of possibility. Mozart's last insertion into the piece though was an incomplete Kyrie. An unfinished cry of "LORD! HAVE MERCY!" It is time taken away from where it is needed most. "I know."

"Mike, look also for a picture of her... It doesn't need to be recent."

The portraits of two women stand in our altar. Two of the five most influential women in my life have died. It pains me to add a third portrait. Mortality is the true test of Hope. Gabriel Marcel had said that to one who loves, the object of love, in their minds shall never die. It is not a matter of soul, or of memories, but rather a belief that as long as you, beloved, live; I hope so strongly to the point of belief that you and I will love eternally. Then of course the beloved dies. The hope of "though shall not die" dies with the beloved, but beyond that hope is the hope of moving forward; being more than I had been with beloved. "Sure, I'll take care of it."

Silence.

"Mike, are those fireworks?"

You have been a deep rooted part of me. Through me, they will know our story. You were beloved since the first day I had known you. I mourn your loss, but celebrate more your being. Be my flare in the night sky. Goodbye.

Person.

2010-05-06T18:49:00.000+08:00

Christianity teaches understanding. Understanding of the situations and the culture that has led to the formation of a person. What may be considered a personal flaw may actually simply be the product of harsh social conditions an individual has had to deal with. In his case, I understand that he has taken more ridicule, more social beatings than you or any of us will ever survive. He is Christ, although in the guise of a broken man, and we continue to beat him ourselves. We cause him to sink lower. All I ask is for us to act as our beliefs dictate to us, or as humanism as a virtue, dictates to intellectual societies. He is Christ. Do not ridicule him. Understand him.

Splagchnizomai.

I have done him wrong in the past, and looking back how I wish I hadn't done what I had done, but now all I can do is hope, and maybe apologize someday.

Disheveled

2010-02-19T06:43:00.000+08:00

She was sitting there serenely sipping from her 1 liter bottle of branded iced tea. It's weird she'd bring a liter to school, seeing as she's a petite little thing. Either she knows what she wants and she sticks to it, or she's rash and was gluttonous enough to buy a whole liter of a drink she was yearning for only in an intense moment. There's also the fact that by now, her drink was warm; incubated by the tropical sun. In any case, she seemed to enjoy her drink. The pursing of her lips to catch each poured drop of tea, and the slight smile after each swallow, its hard to say whether I'd rather keep her image immaculate as Chaucer's nun, or maybe in undress, pouring liquid on herself. No, definitely not in undress. She will be the mother of my children. She will be my broken Mary, and I will take her with all flaws attached. If only she knew. If only I was serious.

It is Me.

2010-01-25T18:28:00.000+08:00

Beyond all things, it is heartbreak. It is pain. It is the devastation of humanity. It is me beyond sanity. It is me beyond who I want to be. It is my failure. It is me.

flowchart

2009-12-02T04:36:00.000+08:00

The New Library Hall and Kinks about it.

2009-11-25T03:45:00.000+08:00

First Pacific Hall of the Rizal Library at the Ateneo de Manila University

a. It's ironic that the supposed "hall" houses most of the library.�

b. It's annoying in some way that they named the building after First Pacific. Again. That makes the First Pacific Center for Biological Sciences, the First Pacific Lecture Hall, and the First Pacific Hall of the Rizal Library. I think we should start calling ourselves "The First Pacific run Jesuit Ateneo de Manila University" (images used copyright of the First Pacific Company Limited and the Ateneo de Manila University)

c. The place is supposedly energy efficient, with the structure itself built to minimize heat retention and maximize cooling, but there are�air conditioning�units 2.5 meters away from each other all around the perimeter of the circulation and computer areas.

d. It's funny that the open access computer laboratory is on the fourth floor, and the open reading area is on the fifth floor. They're basically saying, "hey computer geeks and netizens,�since only your hands and fingers get exercise, we've decided to give you a cardio workout�every time�you feel like using the open access lab. Same goes for you bookworms and sleepyheads. Since you get even less exercise than the computer geeks, you have to climb one more staircase!"�

e. The bathrooms are in the hallways now, so no more kinky time stories I hope.�

f. It's great that we have a new library though. That makes 2 library buildings aside from the collection within departments. I am, albeit it showing otherwise in this post, thankful to Mr. Pangilinan and First Pacific for investing in the Ateneo, and the trust of a solid, well rounded, liberal arts based Ateneo education. I am also thankful to Dr. David of the Library administration. She has undoubtedly improved to great ends (using merely small means) the library system. Multitudes of online journal sources added, a new library building, and vastly improved library facilities. Hats off madam. You are a miracle worker.

Rebuilding Me

2009-11-24T08:06:00.001+08:00

Ketsana, that great bitch, destroyed the Michael Cabauatan Library main collection which is, sans the vanity title, basically 98% of the books which I owned that I gave a crap about. Everything from all my college text books to my philosophy-theology collection, the books of my favorite fiction authors (Kundera, Murakami, Kafka, Amis, and Gaiman) and my complete collection of the written works of David Sedaris. I am of course devastated. That is tens of thousands of pesos in bound investments down the drain. That is also most of who I am as a person. These books were what defined me. That's why they were in a separate shelf away from my other books. They in one way or another challenged my understanding of self and reality.�

Anyway, what's gone is gone. I can't look back at their contents to see if I've deviated from their ideals. The reference to who I am is officially gone. For the record, only Foucault and Plato were saved (the Fr. David SJ readings). The beautiful thing about life and humanity though, is that the definition still exists in me, and that I am an ever changing individual. I may not be able to go back to Marcel, Hobbes, Vatican II, or any of the other lost books to revisit their impact on my psyche, but I guess the best thing to do is move forward. I can either look for the lost books (again) which are hard to find in bookstores in my little slice of 3rd world metropolis, or I can rebuild by reading new books and see if they affect my self and my reality.�

So: step 1. I bought Jean-Paul Sartre's Being and Nothingness, and Cohen's Humanistic Psychology. That's one lost book and one new book. Let's see where I go from there...

Rebuilding Me

2009-11-24T08:06:00.000+08:00

So: step 1. I bought Jean-Paul Sartre's Being and Nothingness, and Cohen's Humanistic Psychology. That's one lost book and one new book. Let's see where I go from there...

My Day and Humanism

2009-11-11T11:14:00.000+08:00

I woke up unknowing of how extremely disappointing this day would be.�

My Th135 (Introduction to the New Testament) class was dissolved. There were theoretically enough of us in the class. It's just that someone decided by some arbitrary standard that there weren't enough people. Thus, I had to look for a new elective to cover the lost elective. After a long search that brought about minimal possibilities and a singular semi-convenient result, I ended up with FA172.2 which is Introduction to Illustration as a Visual Narrative. For the love of God, how lame is a drawing elective for a science major?�

The Philosophy department's secretary is a stoic seemingly uncaring person who seems an ironic icon set amidst the humanist background that is the Philosophy department. Let me stress that this whole mess was never in any way my fault, but the way people seemed to turn down my buffer requests and pleas to join the other section of the same dissolved class, which was unfortunately tagged for graduate students, seemed to indicate to me that they don't really give a damn whose fault anything is, or in my case, whose fault it wasn't. I'm guessing their premise is "life isn't fair." The problem is that in the Catholic university setting, simply saying that life isn't fair is as if acknowledging that justice is flawed, and its flaws are acceptable parts of lived experience. This quietism is precisely what is to be avoided any Catholic, let alone philosophical humanists. Ateneo is supposed to be a humanist school. The bricks of this wonderful facade unfortunately tell a different story.

Tuition Complaints LAST FREAKIN' SEM IN ATENEO

2009-10-27T13:15:00.000+08:00

PATAASAN ULI NG TUITION!
last sem 75K
this sem... 78K. FTW!!!!!

I have 2 jesuits for profs again.... that makes 6 all in all. Oyeah.

Simulan Na

2009-10-15T06:31:00.000+08:00

Noong siya'y umalis, 'di man lang ako makaimik. Inabot ko ang aking maleta at pinuno ng mga alaala at mga "kung sana." Naghanap ako ng taxi sa kalakasan ng ulan, naghahangad ng kalayaan mula sa nararamaman.

At parang pinagpalang panalangin, pinihit ag tingin at nagtagpuan ko'y ikaw.

Paano mo nalaman na kailangan ka ng puso ko? Paano mo natutunang ayusin ito? Ang iyong mga kamay, bahid ang lunas sa sakit ng sinomang baliw na kanyang mga panaginip ay nasawi sa wala. Ayusin mo ako.

Hini ko maintindihan ang nararamdaman ko, baka nga naman plano ito ng tadhana na magtagpo tayo, dahil biglang naglaho ang mga hinanakit ko sa bawat pagkakataong magkalapit tayo.

At parang pinagpalang panalangin, nakayanan mong ibayuhin ang lungkot na nasa akin.

Paano mo nalaman na kailangan ka ng puso ko? Paano mo natutunang ayusin ito? Ang iyong mga kamay, bahid ang lunas sa sakit ng sinomang baliw na kanyang mga panaginip ay nasawi sa wala. Ayusin mo ako.

Titigil din ang ulan, at malilimot ko din ang kahapon, dahil ito na ang kinabukasan ko.

Paano mo nalaman na kailangan ka ng puso ko? Paano mo natutunang ayusin ito? Ang iyong mga kamay, bahid ang lunas sa sakit ng sinomang baliw na kanyang mga panaginip ay nasawi sa wala. Ayusin mo ako.

Ika'y Bubuohin

2009-10-15T06:10:00.000+08:00

Sa paghihirap na sa wala ang hantungan
Sa nakukuhang kagustuhan pero wala ang kailangan
Sa pagod na hindi maitulog
Sa pagkahulog na walang hanggan

Ang mga luhang dupadaplos sa iyong mukha
Sa kawalan ng hindi na man maibabalik
Sa pagmamahal na walang kapalit
Ano pa nga ba ang mas masakit?

Ang liwanag ang siyang magdadala sa'yo sa aking piling
At ika'y pilit na bubuhayin
At sa aking makakaya, ika'y bubuohin.

Sa kataasan man o sa lubugan
Sa pagiirog na di mapakawalan
Sa kawalan ay walang matututunan
Matutunan ang sariling halaga

Ang liwanag ang siyang magdadala sa'yo sa aking piling
At ika'y pilit na bubuhayin
At sa aking makakaya, ika'y bubuohin.

Ang mga luhang dupadaplos sa iyong mukha
Sa kawalan ng hindi na man maibabalik
Ang mga luhang dupadaplos sa iyong mukha
At ako nama'y...

Ang mga luhang dupadaplos sa iyong mukha
Pangakong matututo sa mga kamalian ko
Ang mga luhang dupadaplos sa iyong mukha
At ako nama'y...

Ang liwanag ang siyang magdadala sa'yo sa aking piling
At ika'y pilit na bubuhayin
At sa aking makakaya, ika'y bubuohin.

Atenean pride post 2009 and the THES QS 2009

2009-10-14T13:34:00.000+08:00

and the THES-QS is out again...
234. Ateneo de Manila University
262. University of the Philippines
401-500: La Salle
501-600: UST

SUBJECT AREA RANKINGS

Arts and Humanities:

88. Ateneo
93. UP

Life Sciences & Biomedicine

171. UP
186. Ateneo

Natural Sciences

114. Ateneo
176. UP

Social Sciences

123. UP
138. Ateneo
292. La Salle

Engineering & IT

243. Ateneo
281. UP

Yearbook Write-Up: Mic Needs Writers

2009-07-16T09:52:00.000+08:00

I've decided that my yearbook write-up would be written by other people.

I ask YOU, dear invited friend to write your thoughts on me.

Make the text short and sweet, but of course, keep it relevant. Don't just write singular cliche words like "nice" and "chubby." Write a clear precise paragraph that you think best describes me, with an underlying theme of who I am and who I can become.

I need your writeups in a week's time (deadline July 22) so that I can take in the most significant bits and forward it to a 3rd party editor, again one of you dear invited friends, so they can write a succint paragraph in 20 lines, font size 10, within 2 inch borders on all sides.

I will then make the final edit.

Please make time to fullfill my little request :)

Books.

2009-06-30T13:10:00.000+08:00

I've finished ALL of Sedaris' books... :'( What's a fan of sabaw comedic autobiographical essays to do?

Well... there's always that growing stack of books in my room...

I could finish the Diary of Sister Maria Foustina Kowalska...
Start reading my OWN copies of Nolan's 2 books...
Reread Vatican 2 (yeah right...)
Start on Immortality by MIlan Kundera...
Finish Fr. Bu's Hypnotherapy book...
Cracks in the Parchment Curtain maybe...
Start on Dance, Dance, Dance...
Murakami is another author whose books I've almost all completely read...
Buy and read that book by Ken Wilbur that I've been eyeing...
Read my Th151 readings (haha maybe later...)
AbPsych...
Organic Chem. Yeah, DEFINITELY Organic Chem...

I had my Fully Booked member card renewed!!!! 10% discounts are fun, but I was given a 20% discount coupon as well... Which book to use it on... hahaha ciao tutti arivadecci che bediamo domani.

Alternative Preferences

2009-06-10T06:25:00.000+08:00

I payed a visit to PEx today... Then I saw this curious little forum called "Alternative Preferences." WTF is "Alternative Preferences?" It seems it's the new PC (note to idiotas: Politically Correct not Personal Computer) term for gay. Is homosexuality the only "alternative" preference? Well, I guess if I were a zoophile, I could post there too... hahaha I'll try that... I'll post a thread called, "What's the hottest animal you've ever f*****?" Let's see what happens... mwahaha!!! Or maybe a thread called, "hottest corpse you've ever kissed?"

Why Did You Leave Me Hoping

2009-06-09T15:11:00.000+08:00

And now I'm left trying to understand it
The faults you find hidden inside of me
I hope you understand that you're the only one
I care for, hopelessly

It's fresh to mind, the promise that you made me
Promises that you would never leave
And at your parting you simply left my heart exposed
waiting on you, endlessly

Chorus:

Never to heal from the pain you gave me the day
that you left though you promised you won't go away
Weren't you the one who made up your mind, to decide
to be the first to avoid me?
Why did you say you would never leave me?

In my head your voice, it haunts my memory
I feel it in my skin, a silent breeze
as if you're always there always around me
watching silently

*Repeat Chorus

Never to heal from the pain you gave me the day
that you left though you promised you won't go away
Weren't you the one who made up your mind, to decide
to be the first to avoid me?
Why did you say you would never leave me?
Why did you say you would never leave me?

Schedule and Tuition Complaints 1st Sem 2009-2010

2009-06-04T03:45:00.000+08:00

Time	M	T	W	H	F
1000
1030	Ch25-B	Th151-I	Ch25-B	Th151-I	Ch25-B
1100	C205	Bel310	C205	Bel310	C205
1130	Ph103-Z		Ph103-Z		Ph103-Z
1200	Bel208	Psy112-C	Bel208	Psy112-C	Bel208
1230		PsyLab	Ch26-B	PsyLab
1300			C209
1330		Psy113-B		Psy113-B
1400		CTC118		CTC118
1430
1500		Ps14-B		Ps14-B
1530		F304		F304
1600
1630
1700
1730
1800

The Sesquicentennial Year.

150 years of the Ateneo.

First Semester: 22 units.

75 thousand pesos.

WTF!?!?!?!?!

Ordinaire Deux

2009-05-19T07:35:00.000+08:00

Prequel: http://mikecab.multiply.com/journal/item/355/Ordinaire

Then in your tiredness, fallen, you drifted to sleep.

In gentle breaths, it was as if your advocacies and hypocricies were non existent. I watched as light gave way to dusk and the night, and stars shone upon the sullied walls, the empty streets we used to haunt. With every breath, vapor seen on cold nights, and the rise and fall of your chest, the sweat drying, slick oil that shines in faded starlight. Your hand beneath your head, and another on your stomach's arch. Fingers, stained in spray color, and the scent of paint and perspiration wafting through the air. In that moment, beyond your words and our hopeful wishes, beyond our ironies and faults, was the silence I dared to break.

I know I've said not much, but know that now, as I speak, I know precisely what to say.

You. You are my frustration. This. This is my sublimation. I loved you, whoever you were, and whoever you would turn out to be. I loved you beyond the words, the art, and the anarchy.

summer assesment

2009-04-04T11:19:00.000+08:00

The Semesteral Post of... Uber Thank-ness

2009-04-02T06:22:00.000+08:00

It's a DAY before grades come out, and NONE of my professors (excluding the senior subject professors) have uploaded grades yet. It's just like them.

Anyway... I would like to give a shout out the the following people:

Fr. Jaime Bulatao SJ and Ma'am Gari Ramos of Psy115. A lot of people told me this would be useless, but I beg to differ. I still use hypnosis 'til now, and I have 2 constant patients and a freelancing patient. Plus, the rods do help in finding misplaced stuff.

Fr. Tony De Castro SJ of Hi165. In my eyes, History will never again be seen as inanity and subversion. Paradigm shifting complete I guess.

Harvey Keh of Th141. I'm rereading the book because I feel my theoretical understanding of Social Theology is inadequate, mostly my fault, but of course I am thankful that you opened up to us your experiences, and the experiences of our people. I could ask for no better praxial professor of Theology.

Ate Bench of OSCI. Immersion was overwhelming, and I learned about so much as I reflected on my experience. Thank you for facilitating my epiphany.

Sir Russell Julian of Bi149. I swear, your tests rock. They're fun and challenging, as was the way you handled the course, and I couldn't ask for anything more.

Ma'am Shy Baquiano of Psy108. I owe you a great apology. I, and the class in general gave you less credit than was due you. Looking back at the sem, the methods of teaching were problematic, but that is developed over time. I realized that you taught us well, and that among all the Psych subjects I've had, I remember the terms better under your instruction, and Ma'am Cara's.

Ma'am Tash Teran of Ch11. I owe you an apology as well. I'm just not a very good morning person. I pray you find comfort, and I pray your mother does as well... come what may, may she, as you, be comfortable and happy. You're still my favorite teacher. My inadequacy is my inadequacy. You are a great instructor.

T-Shirt: Male Version

2009-03-20T12:11:00.000+08:00

ey, let me tell you know.
ohhhh girl.

trying to decide, trying to decide if i,
really wanna go out tonight.
i never used to go out without ya,
not sure i remember how to.
gonna be late gonna be late but,
all my bros gon have to wait cause,
your leavin' me made me feel like shit
i tried every pill in my cab'net.

I don't feel right now I'm not with you,
sick of this tux and my favorite shoes.
don' wanna go out 'coz I hurtin' too,
Just wanna get off when I think of you.
ima step out of my Escalade, go back
to my room and masturbate.
in bed i wait, just thinkin' back on times now gone,
oh, with nothing but a T-shirt on.

hey, gotta get goin' gotta get goin' but
i really feel I should stay home.
i thought maybe i'd do some clubbin',
but i couldn't get past the door and,
now i don't know now i don't know if i'm,
ever really gonna let you go and i,
can't forget the feel of your kiss.
The problem is of a weary love missed.

I don't feel right now I'm not with you,
sick of this tux and my favorite shoes.
don' wanna go out 'coz I hurtin' too,
Just wanna get off when I think of you.
ima step out of my Escalade,
go back to my room and mastubate.
in bed i wait, just thinkin' back on times now gone,
oh, with nothing but a T-shirt on.

trying to decide, trying to decide if i,
really wanna go out tonight.
i can't forget the feel of your kiss,
the problem is of a weary love missed.

I don't feel right now I'm not with you,
sick of this tux and my favorite shoes.
don' wanna go out 'coz I hurtin' too,
Just wanna get off when I think of you.
ima step out of my Escalade,
go back to my room and masturbate.
in bed i wait, just thinkin' back on times now gone,
oh, with nothing but a T-shirt on.

(again... I know this is soooo PI, but indulge me... This should be vulgar male version...)

Manong Guard and Friendster

2009-03-20T06:24:00.000+08:00

I'm in the CTC net lab. (CTC112, not CTC101. Yes, CTC112 is open)
There's a manong guard beside me.
He's typing his status report.
He's also updating his Friendster account.
He's smiling. He looks happy.
Go manong guard O.o

Sobrino :'(

2009-03-18T16:01:00.000+08:00

By the last page, my tears were flowing freely, as if fountains pouring from a well long untapped.

By some strange boredom, I picked up my Liberation Theology book and took a second read at "Awakening From The Sleep of Inhumanity" by Fr. Jon Sobrino SJ. I know the church calls his work dangerous, but I find beauty in his passion. Anyway...

“Little by little, I came face to face with the truly poor, and I am convinced that
they were the ones who brought about the final awakening. Once awakened,
my questions—and especially my answers to the questions—became radically
different.”

“The joy which comes when we
are willing to change our vision in order to see what had been there, unnoticed,
all along, and to change hearts of stone into hearts of flesh—in other words, to
be moved to compassion and mercy."

~

2009-03-17T11:51:00.000+08:00

Although we are, wounded, defeated... We are still in a place I call... Home. Thanks so much guys.

Curly Top (Unfinished)

2009-03-10T12:40:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, I went to the mall
There I saw my friend Curly Top
He was with some bimbo, shakin' her ass round the second floor
they were holding hands, together in the escalator
at once I called his name out, and when he took a look back
I had to scream my lungs out, Hey! Hey! That's my girl, man!

Hey hey you schmuck why did you take a shot at my girlfriend the slut?
Hey hey you schmuck why did you take a shot at my girlfriend the slut?
Hey hey you schmuck why did you take a shot at my girlfriend the slut?
Hey hey you schmuck why did you take a shot at my girlfriend the slut?

Finality

2009-03-08T07:46:00.000+08:00

I had a dream last night that was both self-revealing and a bit melodramatic...
Forgive me if this seems like a stereotypical (as Sanny put it) "Mic Post." I promise, I'm still on sabbatical.

[Fade open lights] [Start scene]

(It's late at night. Mic and Iris sitting on the curb on Taft avenue, directly in front of Beanhoppers. Jeepneys pass them by, and on rarer occasion, a person passes by. Mic is holding a cup in his hand, and is wearing a long sleeve shirt that covers his hands.)

Mic: (sips from his cup and sighs)
Iris: (scoffs)
Mic: (lets out a single strong cough, rubs his chest, then hunches his back in exhaustion)
Iris: Are you okay?
Mic: (nods head and smiles)
Iris: Okay.
Mic: (starts coughing continuous loud straining, hacking coughs)
Iris: [as Mic coughs] Mickey! Mickey!
Mic: (coughing stops, but is still wheezing. He looks into the palm of his hand and sees blood splatters on the sleeve covering his hand.) [Zoom into bllod stain] (he stares non chalantly at the stain)
Iris: Ano problema?
Mic: (shows her the sleeve)
Iris: (freezes in her disbelief) Uuy. Uuuuy! Ano ba! Walang ganyanan!
Mic: E, ganun e.
Iris: (begins to cry) wala namang ganyan! Ano ba! Dali pumunta muna tayong ospital, wala lang yan! (stands to hail a jeepney to PGH)
Mic: (pulls her back down) Wag na. Actually, I'm kinda relieved.
Iris: Bakit naman?
Mic: Mapapakawalan ko na rin itong buhay na to. (looks up at the LRT line) Mabuti na ang mamatay ng unti-unti kaysa yung sa biglaan. Parang 2 months notice before retiring for good. I can finish up all I need to finish up, and I can say good bye to everybody.
Iris: Sandali ang, tawagan ko lang sina Meg at Thea...
Mic: Forget it. Iiyak lang yan.

[Mic wakes up]

What was most unnerving was the fact that I felt a general sense of relief in the dream, and during my waking moments. I did self hypnosis just to try to return to my dream and make sense of it, and self hypnosis concurred with my initial thought, that my feeling of irrelevance has caused me to think of giving up, instead of leading me to do something about it. I'd rather give the world notice that: "Hey, I'm leaving but you never really needed me anyway" than to make use of my capabilities. What's my point in sharing this then? Within this smile lays a man on the brink of losing himself, deeper than he has lost himself before. No one really asks others to make them feel relevant. Relevance is a concept of the self. All I've really asked from anyone is conversation. As I've continually said from the old schizophrenia, up to the current Mikecab: I need to know you.

A Farewell to Mikecab

2009-03-02T04:36:00.000+08:00

I realized how annoying it is to constantly have to market my work without actually making it obvious that I am marketing my work. I don't write for myself. I'm not a narcissist. I want to share, and people say, "nah... not worth sharing, and not worth my time." I know I'm didactic, but wtf. I just need to know I'm reaching out to someone. If not, it's all pointless. So there. I guess my work is irrelevant. That so, I am irrelevant. I'm going on sabbatical. I'll read a few notations on creative nonfiction just to brush up, so that one day, maybe, I can be relevant. All works in the near future will either be in the realm of pop literature, or past works. Thanks for all those who supported me over the years, and I'm sorry for taking your time.

This is the end of mikecab. Finally, the schizophrenia and it's subsequent evolutions can cease to exist. It's time for me to possibly develop beyond the anonymity of cyber space... If I can stand it long enough.

goodbye mikecab (multiply and plurk) we had some great times.

Four New Messages

2009-02-25T14:30:00.000+08:00

At 3:30 PM I checked my phone, and there were 4 new messages.

4 new messages for me is creepy... It's not the usual 1 "what time is your break?" from your friend, or the "when's the submission?" message from your classmate. It isn't the 2 "come home na." "your lola is here." messages from your mom. Its not the combination of both either. It's that random one extra message that gets me all riled up, esp[ecially since this week is a highly critical week. What could the fourth message be? "why aren't you answering me?" a follow up messge from an overly excited friend? "come home na." A repeated message from your mom? Or maybe it's "OMG we're so dead! so dead! Aliens have attacked Manila ang they're gonna kill us all!!!!!!" A bit exagerrated, but the general theme is 4th message = no good. Today was no exception. *sigh*

Sa May Muro

2009-02-21T08:40:00.000+08:00

That's what you get when you let your heart win.
Anong napala mo sa pagkairal mo sa damdamin mo?

Whoa.
Hay naku.

"E, kung talunin nalang kaya natin?"
"Gago, and taas kaya niyan."
"Hmm..."
"O, ano na, uwi na tayo! May pasok pa bukas!"
"Sandali lang."
"Oi! Saan ka pupunta? Tangina naman e!"
...
...
...
"Saan ka nanggaling? Ano yan?"
"Pogo stick and tawag dito."
"Ano naman gagawin natin diyan?"
"Tatalon."
"Auti ka ba!?"
"Bakit, takot ka?"
"Sino ba 'di matatakot diyan! Ungas!"
"Wag mo na nga ako murahin, basta sundan mo nalang ako."
...
...
...
"O ano? sumunod ka rin pala e!"
"...Nasa...Nasa labas na tayo?"
"Oo. Ayan o. Ayan yung tinalon nating pader."
"Edi, nasa lob niyan ang siyudad?"
"Malamang."
"Wala na tayo sa loob?"
"E kung sapakin nalang kaya kita."
"Masaya naman ako e... Pero, ano nang gagawin natin ngayong wala na tayo saa loob?"
"Edi... mamahalin kita."
"Wala nang aangal?
"Wala."
"Wala nang taguan?"
"Wala."
"O siya. Mahal na rin kita."

tinginingining yan >.<.

files files

2009-02-18T17:20:00.000+08:00

Man-dates: Medjo P.I.

2009-02-13T13:14:00.000+08:00

Man-dates. They're like man boobs. (wtf >.<)
Sana hindi makalimutan ni Anjo date namin bukas
Hindi pa siya nagtetext e.

UY! Siyangaps! Napanood ko ang Ateneo Fencing Team kanina! (shout out kay Chan! Naks nakalaro ka na rin!) Congrats sa mga nanalo sa UAAP 71 Fencing Tournament! Galing ninyong lahat! (kahit na di ko talaga maintindihan yung sport na yan T-T) ESPADAHAN NALANG!!!!!

Alam kong nagloloko lang si Joel nung sinabi niya sa akin na sumali ako sa Judo team kasi kulang sila sa mga heavyweight (bigatin ng Katipunan!) pero nung inisip isip ko... yuck. weird ng sout ng judokas... plus isang haplos lang sa tagiliran ko titili na ako ng parang babae. saan ka nakakita ng judokang ganun?

mula sa http://www.fmylife.com:

"Today, while in our communal showers in the highschool football locker room, I started to swing my penis around because it feels good and I was alone. Two minutes later the rest of the team hops into the shower with me. 30 dudes, one self-induced boner. FML."

kawawang bata. Mas nakakatakot pa yung nang makita ng buong team ang kanyang galititi ay nag stay pa sila sa shower na kasama ni gago. Naks edi team= 1 gago= 0 .

Andami kong gagawin. Nagpapakabaliw lang ako ngayon. Toodles!

Dedicate Home (Sharing Observed Poverty) Conclusion for Now

2009-02-11T09:57:00.000+08:00

A Personal and Observed Poverty: A Narrative (Conclusion for Now)

The greatest lessons I have learned as an adolescent were learned within the narrow side streets of Malate. I just thought that although this initial experience was a far 7 years ago, somewhere within my experience, someone can decipher the same lessons I had learned, and maybe find some new lessons of their own. I think this community, these people, and the experience of poverty in general, whether experienced or observed, should be made open to the world, so that more and more we can understand the situation that is shared by a majority of the urban population. Find your own conclusions and make your own solutions, but be sure to share. This is our world, not mine, not yours.

Dedicate Home (Sharing Observed Poverty) 5

2009-02-11T09:32:00.000+08:00

A Personal and Observed Poverty: A Narrative (Part 5)

For two hours I did nothing but take short naps and stare blankly into the view beyond the door. Beyond the door was a small eskinita, and across that was a small G.I. sheet (yero) structure like the one I was in. I saw slippered feet dash, and market baskets being lugged around. I heard the loud shouts of the men, the incessant chattering of the women, and the playful screams and laughter of the children. The scent of murky water mixed with laundry detergent encompassed the area, and an eerie sort of unnatural humidity filled the air. Sunlight contrary to what most believe, was abundant. Although their homes were compacted together leaving only passage ways serving as pseudo roads; as none of the structures were above two stories, sunlight shone brightly within the area. It was hot, truly, but it was precisely this humidity and distinct smell of detergent that stuck best in my mind. This place was the forge, as it was the wash basin.

It is a dynamic community of hundreds if not thousands of people who were there not by choice, but rather out of the necessity of living. Their poverty is the path they think they must endure. It is the supposed cleansing of their souls so they may one day join their God. That was the paradigm of my students, and it must have been the paradigm of most of the God fearing in the community as well. It is precisely that point that made me realize that Karl Marx was right. Religion, as in the case of Catholicism in area 8, is truly merely an opiate of the people. If they truly believe that God would allow them to be tested by poverty, as a prerequisite to paradise, then we would not have a merciful God, but rather a cruel professor. Weren’t we as individual human beings given the God given gift of rationality and free will? We were given the innate capability to make something of ourselves. We must remember though that our goal is not merely to be the best we can be, but rather that we be the best we can be, for others. The goal was never individual, but rather a collective goal for society in general. We are here to MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE, but again, in the eyes of my students, they are nothing more than society’s outcasts that the world deigns to let survive. Their dignity is shattered. Once you think of yourself less than your constituents, then your capability suffers, and your being becomes greatly disordered.

Dedicate Home (Sharing Observed Poverty) 4

2009-02-11T09:01:00.000+08:00

A Personal and Observed Poverty: A Narrative (Part 4)

I had arrived early one day for class. I was 3 hours early to be exact, and the reason I was early was because I was sick, and if I had stayed longer in my home, my parents would have discovered my illness, and would have thus stopped me from teaching the days' class. I was a persistent kid. I stood in front of the center, and discovered it was locked. It was 11 in the morning, and the heat did nothing for my fever. I felt dizzy and decided to sit beside the center's door under the center's shade. Stereotypical members of the urban poor community passed me by and asked if I was okay. I would nod my response, but they would indomitably query further on my condition, asking if I was really okay. After a few minutes, the day care worker I taught with arrived in a hurry. She said that one of those who had queried me earlier had told her that I was dizzy and obviously sick, waiting by the center's door. She then took me into the depths of the community, a trip that I would re-tread over and over again since that initial time. She took me to her home, a 2x2 meter space of corrugated G.I. sheets with a piece of plywood stuck at the back wall creating a pseudo double decker bed. All that was within the space was a table, a few cushions, a small kalan (gas stove) and a cabinet. She apologized for her home, and asked if I would like to rest first. She directed me to the bottom "bunk" of the makeshift bed, which was layered with a thin cushion and torn sheets. From my position you could see out the door. My fever raged on. In my experience, fevers have always heightened my senses. The reason I found for that phenomenon was that it was only during times of sickness that I bother to lie down and simply experience the multiple sensations opened to me. Lying in a sick bed, there is nothing to take into account but your body, and what it feels. Thus, in sickness, I am open to feel. I am open to see, to smell, to taste, (whatever taste is left) and to hear. We take sensation for granted. It's as if the world is for us to grasp, but we forget that in reality, it is the world that grasps us.

Dedicate Home (Sharing Observed Poverty) 3

2009-02-11T08:58:00.000+08:00

A Personal and Observed Poverty: A Narrative (Part 3)

The only real problem I had with the whole teaching encounter was the lack of funds. Lesson plans, lesson guides, and evaluation forms supposedly given daily were delayed week after week because the parish program didn't have enough resources to reproduce the documents. Finally we volunteers decided to reproduce the documents out of our own pockets, just to ensure the proper working of the program. It was a small price to pay in any case. Another problem was that some children would go to class without taking lunch, because of one reason or another. It's an odd thing, seeing hungry children; some cry, some sit at the corner and say not a word, some try satiating themselves by sucking the dirt from their fingers, and others blatantly ask if I have food. It was at times like these that the seeds of Liberation Theology began to sprout in me. I talked about a loving God who provided for his people, and when asked how God provides for his people, all my students could say was that they were protected by their parents, and that they had friends. Maybe the reason why the urban poor's paradigm is so very social is precisely because there is a definite lack, and all you can turn to in times of need are people close to you, and a God who seemingly never answers your prayers. As one of my students once said, "Mahal tayo ng Diyos KAHIT NA HINDI TAYO MAYAMAN (God loves us even though we are poor). Binigyan niya tayo ng mga nagmamahal sa atin, mga kadamay sa mundo (He gave us people who love us, and people who share our situation)." It's a shame that he thinks God loves them DESPITE their poverty. In the eyes of my students, the eyes of innocents, poverty is disordered. Their condition is disordered. It is not a natural condition. It is supposed to be the other condition, not THE condition. If these children can see it, why can't we? Saying that God loves us no matter our social standing would only serve to confuse them. How can a God who loves us equally allow inequality to exist? Even if inequality is man's invention, how could he allow man to create such harsh conditions for his neighbor? As for the children's hunger of that moment, what else could I do but buy simple snacks or bring crackers and tea (yes, tea. I was a weird kid.) The kids especially loved those 10 peso packs of spicy Oishi. 3 or 4 of the kids would share a pack and walk happily home after class.

Dedicate Home (Sharing Observed Poverty) 2

2009-02-11T08:56:00.000+08:00

A Personal and Observed Poverty: A Narrative (Part 2)

I taught catechism to young children of ages of 7-12. My post was the communities' city run day care center, which was basically a room on the ground floor of a 2 storey concrete structure. The room was small. It was about six square meters, and had 2 windows and a door. One window was facing Adriatico, and the other window, along with the door, was facing the fronting unnamed eskinita. The educational tools available were merely a table, a stack of chairs, and a bookshelf filled with books much too complicated for children of such a young age to understand, and thus for the most part, they were left unused. As an example: The first copy of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace that I had read was from said bookshelf. It's ironic really, the day care worker who was assigned to assist me said to me that the books were donations from the city government. If the government expects day care students to read Tolstoy and Austen, then they have no idea about the current educational system. The classes I taught were from 2 to 4. 20 kids per class, 2 classes a day. It was easy to motivate the kids, and I had no problems with attendance. They all came day after day for the 3 weeks we were supposed to be together. If anything, what made me return there daily (sans a few absences on my part) was the expression on the children's faces after a heartwarming lesson. The senior instructors had warned me that teaching the younger batch would be difficult, but I didn't mind the awkward questions (nagdudugo pa ba si Jesus?) and the indiscriminate quarrel between classmates now and again. They were children, and it was precisely this fact that made teaching Catechism all the more easy. These children believed in what I taught, and were ready to accept the willful behavior dictated by adopting the Catholic faith. It may seem shallow, but a single "magagalit si Jesus" would be enough to tear quarrelers apart. This simple naiveté, a simplistic fear of God is precisely what in that moment would bring them to heaven versus me to purgatory.

I taught catechism to young children of ages of 7-12. My post was the communities' city run day care center, which was basically a room on the ground floor of a 2 storey concrete structure. The room was small. It was about six square meters, and had 2 windows and a door. One window was facing Adriatico, and the other window, along with the door, was facing the fronting unnamed eskinita. The educational tools available were merely a table, a stack of chairs, and a bookshelf filled with books much too complicated for children of such a young age to understand, and thus for the most part, they were left unused. As an example: The first copy of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace that I had read was from said bookshelf. It's ironic really, the day care worker who was assigned to assist me said to me that the books were donations from the city government. If the government expects day care students to read Tolstoy and Austen, then they have no idea about the current educational system.

The classes I taught were from 2 to 4. 20 kids per class, 2 classes a day. It was easy to motivate the kids, and I had no problems with attendance. They all came day after day for the 3 weeks we were supposed to be together. If anything, what made me return there daily (sans a few absences on my part) was the expression on the children's faces after a heartwarming lesson. The senior instructors had warned me that teaching the younger batch would be difficult, but I didn't mind the awkward questions (nagdudugo pa ba si Jesus?) and the indiscriminate quarrel between classmates now and again. They were children, and it was precisely this fact that made teaching Catechism all the more easy. These children believed in what I taught, and were ready to accept the willful behavior dictated by adopting the Catholic faith. It may seem shallow, but a single "magagalit si Jesus" would be enough to tear quarrelers apart. This simple naiveté, a simplistic fear of God is precisely what in that moment would bring them to heaven versus me to purgatory.

A Horse and His Boy

2009-02-05T17:03:00.000+08:00

I just had the oddest day today... I'd like to thank my fellow Psychistas Fran, Erika and Patrick for a truly awkward day. Depravity when taken in discourse becomes hobby. While at the smocket, Fran Erika and I talked about all sorts of depravities. Gossip, priestly pedophiles, child molestation and rape, teacher student relations, (and of course the psychological basis and psycho-social effects of said events on the human psyche.)

Then we started talking about "2 girls 1 cup." OMG. WTH.
Then we started talking about "Mr. Hands." OMG. WTF.

Then out of curiosity, we watched the videos. On campus. >:)
It was the weirdest day of my life. We walked around campus looking for a secluded spot to watch the videos. >.< I swear... we never did anything like this in DLSU... it's just like highschool.

Those videos changed my life forever.
THAT was depraved.
Of course it was all taken in a discursive sense. We analyzed it all, but still... WTF!?!?!?!

Watch this. There are lots of these on Youtube. These are initial reactions to watching Mr. Hands... Mr. Hands died after his little stunt... he ruptured his colon. There was something seriously wrong with that man, and all we can do is treat him like entertainment... There's something wrong with that.

The Dead on Rainy Days

2009-02-05T09:18:00.000+08:00

It's raining... on the hill... rain... hill... rain... hill... water flows down the steeps and slides of grass and sandy sides. They drain into the barred pits that lead to lower chambers. There, the water bids them wake. The corpses flood out from the earth's belly onto the brick layered path on the hill. Victims of the canine's bite. Floating bodies that seek to share their undead fate. We of the hill hide in fear. The dead do come on rainy days.

Stephen King on Stephanie Meyer

2009-02-04T04:09:00.000+08:00

Stephen King:
"Both Rowling and Meyer, they're speaking directly to young people... The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can't write worth a darn. She's not very good."

=) I love Stephen King.

The maniacal laughter Senate

2009-02-04T03:39:00.000+08:00

This will be unbased and useless. (Just like the institution this wishes to critique.)

Philstar Headline:
SENATORS WANT HEADS TO ROLL AT SEC

The Headline in My Head:
PEOPLE NEED SENATORS' HEADS TO ROLL

Wanted: Thesis Topic

2009-01-28T04:53:00.000+08:00

I'll run this by you guys 'coz you guys have finished your thesis... Would these be considered okay theses?

a. Behavioral Sink in Urban Poor Settlements
b. Behavioral Sink in Philippine Prisons
Those are our Social Psych bets... we're still thinking of Cognitive Psych bets, Developmental Psych bets, and maybe even a Field Experiment on working conditions in white collar companies... I'm just looking for advice.

My Bloodtest Results

2009-01-27T08:47:00.000+08:00

I know this is a private matter, but I can't help but share this lesson with all of you... That's what I get... my habits regarding sweets and fatty foods... *sigh*... the lesson to learn from all of this is:
1. don't eat too much sweets
2. drink coke light
3. eat lots of fruits
4. LOVE tofu

and that's precisely what I do. My blood sugar is normal. (WOHOO!!!!) 79 (which is low-normal).
My Cholesterol is normal.
My LDL is normal.
My HDL is normal.

basically, my blood is cool... or is it...

my Uric acid is 150% of normal.
Oops. I guess we scratch the LOVE tofu part...
I CAN'T EAT TOFU ANYMOOOOOORRREEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

The Indies and Drawn Blood

2009-01-26T05:31:00.000+08:00

Nope. This is definitely not a colonial themed post.

My friends smoke packs of cigarettes and consume indiscriminate amounts of alcohol. I watch too many movies. Independent films are my vice.
I have watched practically all the independent films shown to date in Robinson's, and many times have travelled to UP for a screening of this or that movie. It all seems to be about the same things. Sex. Poverty. Opression. Our country really has to find something more developed to showcase in film. Anyway, it's a nice hobby, but then I dreamt that I was in Shortbus.

Shortbus (check the 3rd definition)

Then I had the dream again.
and again.
and again.

No more indies for me.

I visited the integrated clinics inside the campus a while ago. I had my blood checked (out of selfconcern). Full blood workup. RBC, WBC, glucose, uric acid, cholesterol, creatinine... the works. I brought 1.5K... and it wasn't enough. 2.6K amp. *cries* anyway.. I can pay in installment naman... My blood was brown O.o is that bad?? I get my results later *cries*.

To: The Offices of Operational Affairs, Michael's Motor and Association Cortices, Michael's Body, Manila, Philippines; The Office of Memory, Michael's Hippocampus, Michael's Body, Manila, Philippines

From: The Central Fight-Flight-Freeze Office, and the Decision Making Office, Prefrontal Cortex, Michael's Body, Manila, Philippines

Please be informed that due to the success of November 2007's body restructuring project entitled "Pesci-Vegetarianism" in both the operational function of the office of willpower, and the cleansing of renal and adipose tissues, the decision making office has decided to reinstate the November 2007 order. Reissued are orders to the Memory Office in the Hippocampus to keep the diet in constant remembrance, as well as reissued orders to the Association Cortices to label all foods not belonging to the diet preliminary to be labelled as "bad." Lipoprivic hunger is to be denied compliance, and the only intake suitably taken into the digestive system is as follows:

Vegetables

Fish

Rice

-end-

Thank you for continuing to let Michael live. This new dietary change is only on a final trial basis from February 1st to March 31st 2009.. Possible continuation may follow depending on the sucess of the said dietary change. Let us hope for lowered cholesterol and sustainable weight loss.

Jurjurethics 3: Glory Holes and Anarchy

2009-01-22T07:11:00.000+08:00

Glory Hole - From Urban Dictionary

I took a piss is the SocSci foyer CRs this morning. The urinals were both occupied, so I opted to use a stall. Inside the stall, there were two new drawings on the cubicle wall: that of an illegibly written name, and a sort of simple yet shocking illustration that looks something like this...
The link above from Urban Dictionary will tell you what a Glory Hole is. Anyway... as a point of discussion, the Glory Hole is a concept in gay pornographic pop culture. It's display, by a student no less, in the Ateneo brings to mind certain questions, or maybe even answers regarding the social workings of the middle class. It brings about that sense of need to see what is in the other cubicle. A sense of wanting either pleasure or a point of comparison. It shows a need to view. A sort of voyeuristic itch. Maybe even not so needy or sexual a connotation. The glory hole embodies the idea of a wall-less society where even the most private of matters are left for the public sphere. It is only malicious because it was deemed so. It demands sexual transparency, a need to eradicate the privacies of instilled shame. The glory hole is not merely a physical device, but rather a theoretical break into the high hidden walls of sexuality. In truth, the best way to address sexuality is to discourse on it. We merely wish to understand what we are able to understand. The Glory Hole, seen as a point of deviance is really a symptom; the wailing of the psyche, a sickness of lack. This is lack of understanding of the sexual matters and the social structures that surround it.

THAT Orgasmic Song

2009-01-21T17:19:00.000+08:00

I've been looking for this piece for YEARS (since 3rd year High School, we used this in the cheering competition) I found it! LUX AETERNA. What a befitting name. Eternal Light. Try it out... One of the only things in this world I would define as Orgasmic. Especially from 3:25 to the end... OMG... I swear... I want this to play as I die.

The Politically Incorrect Post (Please Don't Kill Me)

2009-01-19T15:10:00.000+08:00

Warning: this will be offensive on MANY levels. I apologize in advance. I write this in satire. I do not mean any of this. I was dared to write this. I have to write like a stereotypical vulgar pompous Atenean for once. This hurts me more than it will hurt anyone else. Please don't kill me.

I'm sure most of you have seen an interracial couple strolling around in your favorite social hideaway. In a globalized world, culture mixes with culture, creating human diversity. That is why we have to thank the Japanese and the Brazilians for coming together and creating the perfect people. It's too bad we have to import Braps here in the Philippines, but as was said earlier, we have interracial couples here too.

There's the Dwarves and Elves type: The aesthetically hot caucasian male, 6 feet tall, burly, with the most beautiful eyes you have ever seen, and with him is the 5 foot pinay who almost always looks like your maid, except your maid doesn't have a 2 inch mole sticking out the side of her nose. As you pass them by, your female friends look at each other and say, "What the?! Pick me instead! I'll wash your clothes! I'll be your bed wife!"

There's the Druid and Dryad type: The 65 year old caucasian male with an aesthetically hot 20 year old Filipina who's too poor to afford clothes to cover more than 50% her body. She's basically wearing a scarf coiled around her torso in weird ways.

There's the Old Goats type: 60 year old caucasian male with a 55 year old Filipina who has denied her Filipina-hood by donning classic western day wear, speaking in her husband's accent, and carrying a small furry animal named "Babushka." Her eyebrows have been shaved off and have been replaced by perma-taray brows, and she wears one too many pieces of jewelry. Sometimes she wears animal print blouses. Oh, and her expression is as if her husband's penis is constantly up her ass.

There's The Kalabaw Kurry type: 45 year old middle eastern or south asian male with 20 year old Filipina. It's like they never stop talking. Where did you meet her? Wait... isn't she the girl who used to be saleslady at your tiangge store in Harrison Plaza?

There's the Vanilla Bean in Hot Chocolate: 40 year old 6 foot tall homosexual caucasian male, partly balding, with 5'2" Filipino life partner wrapped within his left arm. The Filipino partner reminds you of your openly gay classmate from high school who supposedly gave blowjobs to horny or discreet men in the 3rd floor laboratory bathroom. The caucasian partner would be the single male math teacher everyone hates that supposedly got a blowjob from said classmate.

Speaking of Vanilla Beans in Hot Chocolate, I had the distinct pleasure of riding with a said couple in a jeep from Katipunan to Cubao. We passed by a sign that said "Fighting Cocks for Sale." The caucasian man turned to his Filipino partner and asked, "Hon, what's fighting cock in tagalog?" The Filipino partner turned to his caucasian partner, batted his eyelashes and said, "Galit na titi. Hihihihihi (pa demure amp) joke honey!" Then Filipino man caressess caucasian's arm, then cuddles.

Resume

2009-01-19T09:27:00.000+08:00

RESUME!!!!!!!!

Med Specialty Aptitude Test (A Kiddy Pre Med View)

2009-01-19T04:46:00.000+08:00

Here are my results for the med specialty aptitude test, from the University of Virginia Health System website.
I will do as Sanny did. In bold are my preferences.

Pediatrics does seem the perfect choice. I like kids (although kids are afraid of me) and I like dealing with parents. Oncology is my emo choice. I would choose this for the finality and strong sense of mortality, vis-a-vis the slight sliver of hope. I like dealing with people. I like patients. I like being a part of their lives. That's probably why radiation oncology's there as well. Psychiatry I'm unsure of as I may lack the objectivism and skill of distancing myself from patients. I guess if ever I go through with med, It'll be for the stories I can gather, whether hopeful, dire, impossible, or simple. I like shaping people's stories. I'm not in med YET, but hopefully my ideas and beliefs don't change.

Rank	Specialty	Score
1	pediatrics	45
2	med oncology	44
3	hematology	43
4	radiation oncology	43
5	rheumatology	42
6	general internal med	42
7	dermatology	42
8	physical med & rehabilitation	42
9	obstetrics/gynecology	42
10	occupational med	42
11	family practice	41
12	emergency med	41
13	endocrinology	40
14	colon & rectal surgery	40
15	anesthesiology	40
16	orthopaedic surgery	40
17	ophthalmology	40
18	plastic surgery	39
19	psychiatry	39
20	pulmonology	39
21	otolaryngology	39
22	gastroenterology	39
23	infectious disease	38
24	nephrology	38
25	cardiology	38
26	urology	38
27	general surgery	38
28	radiology	38
29	pathology	38
30	nuclear med	38
31	allergy & immunology	37
32	neurosurgery	37
33	preventive med	36
34	aerospace med	35
35	neurology	35
36	thoracic surgery	34

10 Things Atenean can do to Save the Environment

2009-01-17T06:36:00.000+08:00

10 Things the atenean can do to save the Environment

(by Lars, Mandz, Ning, Tammie and Mic)

Paperless University - Have you ever stopped and thought about the amount of paper the University uses on a daily basis? Just observing a single xerox lady’s booth as she goes through her work pile, it’s sickening. The sad part is technology has come to the point when mountains and mountains of redundant paperwork isnt even necessary anymore. Email, blogs and the possibilty of downloadable content can greatly reduce the amount of paper in circulation at our school. While it owuld be impossible (and unwise) to completely eliminate the use of paper, encouraging digital alternatives is a step in the right direction.
Handout Recycling - Let’s be honest, alot of teachers repeat the same assignments and requirements sem after sem. For those of us who already have mountains of photocopied material, a good way of getting rid of them would be to donate them to orgs who can then redistribute it to the incoming lower years.
Shuttle Service - An EFFECTIVE and ORGANIZED implementation of a shuttle service would greatly reduce the amount of cars in the community (especially with the economic crisis). While shuttle services have been tried before, they were always done in a half hearted way. A new system would need a wider range of loations as well as dedicated vehicles.
Waterless Urinals - Guys, all of us have seen this when we use public restrooms in malls and restaurants. It always comes with this tiny banner that tells you that when you pee yo’re saving X,XXX gallons of water every year. Maybe it’s time to find out if it’s true?
Bottle Drive - While the BYOB system has been succesful in reducing the use of disposable utensils and plates there is still the nagging problem of bottled beverages. Dedicated bottle depositories will help reduce litter as well as generate some extra income.
Be Responsible - If you see a crumpled ball of failed quizes on the floor. Pick it up and throw it away. Even if it’s not yours. Simple.
Reuse - All those plastic bags you accumulate from buying stuff? Don’t throw them away. Re-use them as trashcan liners or plant holders. Be creative.
Save Water - Take baths instead of showers. USe a cup when brushing your teeth instead of letting the faucet run continuously.
Don’t Waste Electricity - Turn off the lights when you don’t use them. Switch off the television while you’re studying, trust us you’ll do just fine without it. Common sense is your bestfriend, if you can do without it. Turn it off.
Spread the Faith! -So you’ve religously followed all the other 9 rules and you’ve turned yourself into a lean, green ecofriendly machine. What next? Get others to do the same ofcourse. Goodluck!

Dark Jesus

2009-01-15T19:09:00.000+08:00

click to enlarge nalang. From sinfest.net

Ordinaire

2009-01-15T14:57:00.000+08:00

Ordinaire.

That is all I am. I'm neither a famous writer, nor a living legend. You're not an environmental lawyer, nor are you a saint. You once told me to be what I was born to be. Then you suddenly left me. I had always thought that part of who I was to be, was to be part of you.

You spoke of dreaming nights and working days. We would talk about how sweet life would be when our dreams became reality. You wanted the world. You would care, and create a better life for all humanity. You wanted to be a savior, a hero. You wanted to be all you can be. I wanted far less. I wanted you.

So maybe what struck you more were the conversations and my open ears. You rambled on for hours, speaking to the empty halls and open fields we frequented. You never noticed my light glances and empty smiles, or the way I looked you over from head to toe, my arms numb from holding up myself atop the wet grass or cold concrete. You would utter blasphemies under your breath, and paint superimposed slogans on side streets and unfrequented walls. You truly were a bipolar irony.

As you fell to the ground, exhausted from your artistic flaunts, hands shaking from hours of precising a spray can, I watched as beads of sweat rolled down your face. It's hot, isn't it? You took your shirt off and hung it on your shoulder. I watched as bead per bead rolled down from chest to waist, and at that moment, I hungered. You turned to me and said that art is merely a raw form of revolution. You. You are my frustration. This. This is my revolution. Did you ever stop your words and listen to what I refused to say?

I loved you, even when you were nothing more than an obscure anarchist.

(What?!?!? Mic wrote that!?!??! ewww!?!?!?) I know right?

Sakit Ng Ulo

2009-01-14T04:47:00.000+08:00

Oh yeah... We're not together are we?

This is precisely where I stand, wishing I was yours.
It's not my fault really,
If I try to define a personal space.
Where do I stand? Am I still with you?

Dazed and confused,
Where am I with you?
Dazed and confused,
Shall I live my life expecting you?

I'm impatient, on the line for you.
My head aches. DO I have to kneel to you?
I just want what's real.
The type of answer,
That isn't a simmilar question.

I can't sleep.
I can't eat.
I can't laugh.
I can't.

Oh yeah... We're not together are we?
This is precisely where I stand.

Dazed and confused.

Boy Positibo

2009-01-08T14:16:00.000+08:00

Nakawala sa kulong

at medyo okay naman

kaila-kailangang ma down

dahil gusto ko 'yon

nagsimula sa halik

mundo'y nagbalik-balik

isa siya lamang halik

ngayo'y inaantok na

at paalis na siya

habang nagyoyosi siya

nakikihit-hit pa nga

at magkakama sila

sikmura'y bibigay na

nasa ulo ko na

hina-haplos ang didbdib niya

tinatanggal damit niya

pakawalan mo 'ko

di makatingin

mamamatay ako

at sasapian ako

ng ka-inggitan

hagis na santo sa lookan

kantang salot sa kantahan

di' makahingnga sa kalokohan

pero yan ang presyo ng inabot ko

tawag na ako ng hinaharap ko

mulatin ang paninginan mo

ako'y si boy positibo

I Don't Shine if You Don't Shine.

2009-01-03T11:36:00.000+08:00

Internet access. Finally.

It's finally 2009. A year before the presidential elections, a year since my little Maki was born, and the year of my beloved university's sesquicentennial. It's the year that economists have labelled as the year worse than 2008. It's the year that we all look for new beginnings. Carl goes to CCA, Anjo goes to work, my med friends go to med school, the others will find jobs, Thea takes her classes seriously, Sanny, Meg, Iris, and many other of my batchmates graduate. It's a big year for my social circle, and screw what economists have to say. 2009 will be our year.

Before my sagely prophesies of the coming year, allow me to deviate a month back so I may as one final 2008 act, reminisce. Auld Lang Syne. This will be a numerical enumeration because you lazyheads are too prissy to read my semi-long paragraphs.

1. Whatever magic the holidays have, it's reserved only for those 17 and below. I blame Theology for not feeling the season of joy. The rationalizations for celebrating Christmas taught to me by the pseudo-theologians in my primary school have been burned by the socio-theological reality of splagchnizomai.

2. Since my mother had to work Christmas eve and new year's eve, I was left to do all the cooking. Cooking all those high quality dishes (not to brag) is exhausting. Remind me never to cook mushroom pilaf stuffed lemon chicken ever again. It's not worth the work. I also did my mother's Christmas shopping. I did mine months in advance to avoid the rush, but pasaway beloved mother just couldn't spend a September day to shop. OMG I hate Ayala Center in December. I can imagine what 168 is like a few days away from Christmas. (Can someone say Mooo?)

Main Dishes for Christmas:

a. Mushroom Pilaf Stuffed Lemon Chicken

b. Salted Dry Fish Puttanesca (Puttaneskang Tuyo)

c. Pineapple Roasted Ham

d. Porter Beans (family recipe, since 1800s)

3. Our maid forgot to tell us to buy Eukanuba for Maki (my puppy-pug) so we had to feed him table scraps on the 25th. The whole of the 25th and 26th, Maki was lethargic, to the point that he didn't move his torso for hours at a time. When he did walk, which was rare that day, he would wobble and trip on himself. We were worried, until we discovered that the maid fed him the beans from Noche Buena. Our family's secret bean recipe, handed down from generation to generation, requires a sizeable amount of red wine. My dog ate only that for a day and a half. I have a small dog. My dog was drunk. Inibriated puppies are NOT cute.

4. As expected, I am chef for a day yet again for New Year. It was coop work with a family friend and later on mom. I couldn't do all that alone after all. Ironic enough, the hardest to cook was the Kwek-Kwek.

Main Dishes for New Year:

a. Beer Soaked Lemon Fish Fritters

b. Jollibee Style Spaghetti (ketchup, hotdogs, and all!)

c. Pineapple Roasted Ham

d. Gourmet Kwek-Kwek (yes Anjo, I am a hypocrite.)

e. Seafood and Quail Egg Pea Soup

f. Pepperoni and Potato Salad

g. Salami and Parmesan Sandwiches

h. Beef Caldereta

5. A deviation from the festive complaining. I will complain about politics. CORY APOLOGIZED TO ERAP. What the fuck. "I'm sorry man who was blatantly corrupt, blatantly adulterous, and was even found guilty of plunder. I should not have supported your ouster." A newspaper article relates that her apology was made as a joke. You don't joke about these things. You don't make a solid statement only to say "joke!" This isn't Banana Split. Another article relayed that Erap was gentlemanly and very courteous to Cory, that's why she couldn't really find it in her heart to divorce herself from the concept of Erap as good guy. WOMEN! What the hell is wrong with her brain's decision making center? Not to be crude, but I'm pretty sure her Cancer's waaay off it. Speaking of her Cancer... it doesn't give her an excuse to go around acting the "suffering servant." What a poseur. Your time is over. Frankly, your time SUCKED. "I'm sorry Marcos, I shouldn't have supported your ouster. She's inept and caused even more problems for our country." I don't really mean that. It's just that that's basically what Cory said. Okay... done... I'll keep away from the CARP issue since some "intellectuals" who think they know the real deal and shout "preferential option for the poor" waaaaay to often without actually searching for the best option for the poor will get mad. Ugh.

6. Anyway... I had lots of plans for 2008. I said I would go to the gym. I did... for 2 weeks. Hahahahaha! I had the go somewhere project, where I would, once a week, go somewhere I haven't been before within the Metro, then at the end of the year, I would take a trip by myself to Paoay or Baguio. It lasted up until Fr. David made life a reading hell. The reading was worth it though. I did go some cool places alone though... Balete drive, U.P., U.S.T., J. Ruiz and the surrounding areas, Avenida, the deep recesses of Chinatown... SM North EDSA ... and many other cool, sometimes weird places :)

7. Oh and thanks to my med friends (plus Carl and Thea) for the super fun Tagaytay trip. :).

So basically, I'm thankful for 2008. The friends, the family, the professors, the random people on the streets... I've had both David and Dacanay in the same sem, and now I have Bulatao and De Castro. I had Dr. Liwag and Dr. Gueco, now Harvey Keh... Wow... I'm lucky to have such cool people instructing me. The grade is hell though... *sigh* anyway.. Thanks 2008.

Green and Red. Purple and Pink.

2008-12-20T07:52:00.000+08:00

Christmas. It's most peoples' favorite time of the year. Sure, your wallet deflates faster than it inflates this season, but in most peoples' heads, the spending is worth it to celebrate the love and camaraderie that exists between all men. We celebrate our friends, our family, the fact that we're alive, and of course we celebrate the birth of Christ. He was born to save us. We're celebrating the fact that a child, born most innocent, would knowingly someday suffer and die for us. There's something wrong with that thought. It's barbaric.

Here we are, buying gifts for our friends, celebrating with our families, preparing lush feasts, decorating our houses with the brightest of lights, all in the name of a prophetic slaughtering of an innocent. Sure, the slaughter brings our salvation, but instead of celebrating the prophetic slaughter, shouldn't we be feeling ashamed of ourselves? What have we to celebrate anyway? That a child was born in a manger, in a stable, in the coldest of nights. We forget all too easily that Christ was not merely born to die for us, but rather he was born to show us who we could be. He chose to be born not in the humblest of settings, but rather under the most opressive of settings. Being born in a manger isn't simplicity, but rather the fact that he, being the child of a couple married in unlawful circumstances, mother pregnant even before the marriage, they weren't sent to the stable because there were no rooms available. If ever, the innkeeper could have offered his room to a laboring Mary. This was the effect of society looking down on these "sinners." They were opressed. The Christ chose to be born in opression. This would be the initial look at the life that would be lived out rallying against that same opression.

So all in all, I learned to see something differently this Christmas. If there is anything to celebrate, it isn't that Jesus was born to suffer and die for us, but rather, I celebrate that he gave us our life's meaning. I celebrate my capacity to do something for the world. I celebrate the fact that I can, and hopefully will bring about social justice and love in all men.

My Busmate is an Underwear Model

2008-12-18T16:28:00.000+08:00

Odd tidbit. I saw a certain "Kian Kazemi" in one of Pepper Tehankee's social event photos. The caption read that he was a model. I then remembered my busmate by the same name. He was a chubby, sort of mischevous guy who was kicked out of CSA. I snickered at the thought they they were possibly one and the same. Then 2 days later, I discover that it was him. He was in Pinoy Big Brother 2. He's an underwear model for Bench. O.o ... way to go Kian? At least he found his place in the world... Seriously, it's nice he made something of himself... Way to rise up from the ashes.

Final Answer.

2008-12-17T07:13:00.000+08:00

Screw this. You call it "a matter of the body" or of "material pragmatism."
I say I WILL FIGHT TO MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE BECAUSE IN MY HEART I KNOW OUR PEOPLE DESERVE BETER. Months of discernment has led me to this: I as a Catholic, support the Reproductive Health Bill. I do so in good will, and in good conscience. This world is not merely for us to practice Catholic doctrine. This world is to be lived in good faith, through the example of Christ. It is both a matter of the body and a matter of the mind. It is both of material pragmatism and spiritual idealism. I know better than to seperate this world with the next. Heaven is NOT my goal, rather my final destination. My goal is The Kingdom ON EARTH as it is in Heaven. Splagchnizomai is my way. I will not be a meek sheep. I will be what God has called us to be. I will be as Jesus has revealed us to be. I too will be the good shepherd. I too will be the man for others. I too will live my life in this simple way, and I too shall say that let the Scribes and Pharasees come and have me crucified. I would rather like my saviour die, bleeding on a cross, than to say I had not fought at all for what my conscience dictates. Quo Vadis Ateneo? We go to be shepherds as well.

FINAL ANSWER.

Ateneo’s Freudian slip
By Minyong Ordoñez
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:34:00 12/17/2008
Filed Under: Schools, Family planning, Legislation, Religion & Belief

Methinks Ateneo de Manila University’s big blue advertisement for its 150th year, which appeared in the Philippine Daily Inquirer last Dec. 10, is a Freudian slip. Why was Ateneo buying expensive two full pages of advertising and making a big deal of proclaiming its deepening spirituality? Is the depth of Ateneo’s spirituality being doubted nowadays?

Or was the big blue ad a mea culpa, mea maxima culpa for the shallow spirituality reflected in the defiance of the Catholic Church’s magisterium by 14 Ateneo professors who wrote a position paper that Catholics could support the Reproductive Health Bill in good conscience? Where did these 14 professors get the authority to interpret the official teachings of the Church?

Forty-two world-class Catholic scholars from North America, Europe and the Middle East were aghast! Aghast enough to rebuke the Ateneo professors with an authentic Catholic discernment proving that Ateneo de Manila academics are greatly mistaken. No Catholic can in good conscience support House Bill 5043.

In the big blue ad, Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, S.J., president of the Ateneo de Manila University, focused his message on Ignatian spirituality, tracing its roots to the classic spiritual exercises. Popularly called retreat, it was conceived by Jesuit founder St. Ignatius of Loyola. It is de rigueur for priests and lay persons pursuing personal spirituality and holiness.

Nebres defines spirituality as the spirituality that understands the way of the cross, a terrific insight that hits the nail on the head. It is precisely the kind of spirituality that’s patently omitted in the rationale of the RH bill.

Many congressmen and congresswomen who favor the bill insist that they are good Catholics. They are conversant with the economics of poverty but not fully knowledgeable or playing possum on doctrinal matters.

Sanctity of life. Divine dignity of women. Selfless love within the family. These are the pillars of strength of an authentic Christian living, and of a society with unerring moral compass.

Population demographers, social engineers, secularized politicians, hip-shooting opinion peddlers, modernist theologians plus the 14 Ateneo professors have got their values anchored on practical materialism and personalism. They cannot discern Pope Benedict XVI’s teachings on agape (self-less and sacrificial love for family). Or Fr. Nebres’ Christ-centered insight on spirituality that understands the way of the cross.

Many Ateneo alumni of the 1950s and 1960s underwent outstanding tutelage from doctrinal Jesuits of the post-war years. To cite a few: John P. Delaney, S.J., who championed the sanctity of marriage and devotion to the Holy Eucharist among Ateneo and University of the Philippines students; Fr. Henry McCollough, S.J., who taught that faith and reason is the right approach in understanding and practice of the Catholic faith; Fr. Lino Banayad, S.J., a Catechism expert who clearly defined what’s wrong and what’s right in his ethics classes; Fr. Catalino Arevalo, S.J., a top-rate theologian who can explain the Catholic faith in simple human terms; Fr. Horacio de La Costa, S.J., a world-class historian who found Catholicism as the driver of time-honored Filipino values; and Fr. James B. Reuter, S.J., an inspiring retreat master and marriage counselor, a father confessor with a soothing doctrinal admonition.

Many Ateneo alumni are asking questions. Whatever happened to “Ratio Studiorum,” the Jesuit-conceived curriculum concept that inspired many Ateneans in the past to pursue excellence of mind and spirit? What is happening out there in Loyola Heights? Are there two schools of thought in Ateneo today?

On one side are followers of the Church magisterium who obey the Church teachings with humility as taught by Jesus Christ in his Sermon on the Mount. On the other side are a coterie of modernists, populists and personalists whose attitude on Catholicism is a matter of feel not faith, a matter of body and not of soul, a matter of material pragmatism not spiritual idealism, a matter of worldliness not of saintliness and a matter of selfish love not self-less love.

The media savvy lawyer and priest, Fr. Joaquin Bernas, S.J., who wrote his opinion on the RH Bill does not augment Fr. Nebres’ kind of spirituality at all. He chose to skin the cat in many ways, replete with ifs and buts, hence the good father was disabled from making a truly Catholic stand on morality. Methinks Fr. Bernas is too fascinated with life in a pluralistic society. He chose to be a politically correct constitutionalist first, an ordained Catholic priest second.

A top-rating TV preacher in America, the late Bishop Fulton Sheen, had an unequivocal view on moral issues. He said, “Right is right even if only one person believes it and millions don’t. And wrong is wrong even if millions think it’s right and only one thinks it’s wrong.”

Quo vadis, Ateneo?

Minyong Ordoñez is a retired chair of Publicis Group of Companies, a Paris-based communication company. He is an Ateneo alumnus, High School 1955 and Bachelor of Science in Journalism 1961. Email: hgordonez@gmail.com

Pinoy Kanto Twilight

2008-12-15T10:25:00.000+08:00

Blatantly stolen from Aldo Tong and Karen Santos >.< I just HAD to repost this.

TWILIGHT
(Filipino kanto boy's version)

Kasi pare ganito daw yun. may isa daw babae na hot daw pare. pero maputla siya kasi hindi siya inalagaan ng nanay niya pare. tapos pare emo daw siya kasi nga daw hindi siya mahal ng mundo at para siyang patay na bata na galit sa mundo. tapos pare, lumipat daw siya ng tirahan kasi daw masyado daw siyang emo para sa luma niyang tirahan. sabi niya sa nanay niya "tangina mo nay gusto ko lumipat kay tay". tangina pare hindi nagalit nanay niya. sabi lang ng nanay niya "tangina mo pare wag ka magmura".

So lumipat siya sa tatay niya di ba? pagkarating niya dun sabi niya, "tangina erpat bakit maulan dito?" sabi ng erpat niya "gago "bur" months na! malamig na tangena". so nagtaka yung babaeng simula ngayon ay tatawagin na lang nating "babaeng maputla at emo".

So pumasok siya sa school di ba? binigyan siya ng truck ng tatay niya pare. sabi ng tatay niya "tangina mo sa'yo na tong truck ko". sabi niya "salamat tay".

Pagkarating niyang school tsong, may nakita siyang lalaking mukhang bangkay pero pogi. sakto. pogi pero mukhang bangkay. sabi ni babaeng maputla at emo "hot pare".

Nung chem lab na ni babaeng maputla at emo, natagpuan niyang lab partner niya yung poging bangkay. so nung tinignan siya nung poging bangaky, ang asim ng mukha nito. mukhang nandiri ata kay babaeng maputla at emo.

Sabi ni poging bangkay "tangina mo". sabi ni babaeng maputla at emo "tangina KA". sabi ni poging bangkay "tangina NIYA oh *tumuro sa teacher nila*". sabi ni babaeng maputla at emo "oo nga noh. TANGINA MO". sabi ni poging bangkay "tangina mo gago bampira ako". tapos naghubad siya ng damit at kumintab ang katawan niya kasi linagyan niya ng glitters ang abs niya kasi tigas siya at ganun na ang mga tigas ngayon na nagpupuntang emba.
So pare na in love si babaeng maputla at emo kay poging bangkay. si poging bangkay naman sige lang kasi sex din daw yun. so ayun. angshweet shweet nila.

"Eow poh... ahihihihi"

"Bebe mwahugz,..... ^^,"

So tapos nun nagpunta sila sa damuhan kasi.... alam mo na. tapos sabi ni poging bangkay "ikaw na buhay ko ngayon" sabi ni babaeng maputla at emo "tangina mo gago patay ka na". sabi ni poging bangkay "TANGINA KA".

Tapos nagsex sila

So basically pare yun lang yung mga importanteng nangyari sa buong storya. intense noh? kaya pala nahhook lahat ng tao.

* * *

Imagined Poverty

2008-12-13T04:47:00.000+08:00

Intro: Benedict Anderson explained in his article "Imagined Communities" that the difference between Imagined and Imaginary is that Imaginary means simply a construction purely in one's imagination. The thing imaginary is simply a figment of imagination without realistic grounding. Imagined on the other hand, at least in his defined social sense, simply entails a mental construction that has a realistic social grounding, although lacking in actual physical affinity.

Borrowing Ben Anderson's definition of Imagined, I would like to apply it to poverty, and thus defining a concept of imagined poverty. Imagined poverty is the feeling of poverty that has a social, even a pseudo physical basis, but in comparison to true poverty, it pales drastically.

Now, back to regular programming.

26% of our population live under conditions of gross malnutrition. That's a shy 3% difference from sub-saharan Africa. What's worse is that most of this gross malnutrition happens in the poorest of provinces, hidden from the eyes of the bourgeois. Really, the only people who can help the hungry are those who have food to spare. The problem is, either they don't know about the hungry, or they think themselves poor as well. Point one is that I myself was shocked to discover the above statistics for myself. I'm pretty sure the same goes to most of the members of the ABCs. Point two is that in these times of crises, and as the Philippines is always in a crisis, the people think to themselves that "hard times are coming," so they save up, conserve, panic buy, and other popular middle class defence mechanisms. This is precisely imagined poverty. The ABCs are too busy thinking of their shrinking wealth, and how times are getting harder, that they fail to discover a class yet below theirs. The Ds and Es are forgotten. Those who have had nothing to begin with are left to the periphery of some obscure province somewhere they don't care to tread. It's a sad case of out of sight, out of mind. This is precisely the problem with imagined poverty... We fail to realize that our dwindling wealth is not merely our own, but it was meant to be shared with those who have none. Instead of investing your savings in the stock market (another imagined institution) and wait for funds to theoretically grow, why don't we invest in people? Why don't we invest in infrastructure? Why not in new businesses? Why not in social enterprises? Jobs are created, wealth is shared, and a sense of community ensues. It is when we connect with the periphery, getting to know them, do we understand their needs, and with our resources and educated minds, we can bring about a sense of true community. Egalite. Fraternite. Liberte. It's not about our individual imagined poverty. It's about sustainable growth in the community. We may be as Anderson said, an imagined community, but the affinity does not necessarily need to be theoretical.

Economics for Poverty

2008-12-08T09:41:00.000+08:00

When someone says company, people think profit, growth potential, supply and demaind, market shares etc.

Hapinoy. It's not an NGO, and it's not an outreach program. It's a company. It makes money from it's business, and it's growth potential is great. It helps women all over the Philippines improve the lives of their families, and it brings together a network of sari-sari stores that have the common goal of building better lives for everyone. It is open to new home made products, and open up small scale producers to wider markets. They are not merely a company. They are a social enterprise. (To learn more about Hapinoy, visit (http://www.hapinoy.com)

The problem with companies isn't that they do not have the potential to be social enterprises. On the contrary, as Hapinoy has shown, companies can more than simply money making enterprises that seeks only the growth of it's wealth. It's about paradigms. When companies seek only for profit, they then only see solutions that lead to profit. When they seek to improve the lives of people, as well as make a profit, then the solutions they find leads to a better life for all. What most can learn from the Hapinoy experience is that the problem with market enterprises is that they precisely look at humanity as merely one of two things: producer, or market. We are merely statistics. Market enterprises lack humanity. As Raul Lejano once told us in class, the future lies in networks, or in this case, social enterprises. It is only once we truly get to know the producer, as well as the consumer do we get to truly succeed. Growth comes not merely from the central company but also from the collective efforts of producer, company, and consumer. The whole point of economy is to make like better.

Ranting.

2008-12-03T05:18:00.000+08:00

Lecheng Humanae Vitae yan. Sana di nalang siya naisulat nang Paul VI na yan. Andaming unsolid points ng document, patuloy parin ginagamit... HAAAAAAY.

P.S. The UST people can just go suck my humanities.

A Failed Catholic University

2008-12-02T10:32:00.000+08:00

"As a Catholic University, the Ateneo de Manila seeks to form persons who, following the teachings and example of Christ, will devote their lives to the service of others and, through the promotion of justice, serve especially those who are most in need of help, the poor and the powerless. Loyal to the teachings of the Catholic Church, the University seeks to serve the Faith and to interpret its teachings to modern Philippine society."

Reading this on the university website, a cross between a frown and a smirk formed on my face.

A newspaper article by John Nery in the PDI that initially came out on the 25th of November discussed how the calls for change in the 40 year old "Down From The Hill" Manifesto of Ateneo's Martial Law days have, in a sense, come into being. The Ateneo, more than any other tertiary institution has made a distinctive mark in Philippine society. It is proudly a venue for the discourse of the essence, effects, and solutions of social realities. We are proudly a collection of some of the Philippines' best minds. We are scientists, professionals, trained by the best in both an intellectual, physical, and social sense. The fact that multiple university affiliated organizations discuss and deliberate stands on key social issues serve to show a university steeped in social value. We have succeeded in this sense. As a Catholic university though, we have failed.

Passing by Zen Garden today, I stopped by the social awareness canopies displayed at the center. The largest of the issue walls was that concerning the Reproductive Health Bill. Various Ateneo socially oriented organizations such as the Ateneo Debate Society, Entablado, the Assembly, and other organizations such as the Ateneo Statistics Circle, the Ateneo Economics Association and the Ateneo Student Catholic Action displayed their stand on the matter, with a short rationale. I applaud said organizations for making an informed decision on the matter. In general, the points were well thought out, and obviously come from a very socially aware point of view. We truly are a university of social relevance.

The problem is, although we thrive in the social aspect, in service to the Filipino people, we forget that we, above being a Filipino university, are a Catholic university. Reading the organizations' stands was wonderful, but amidst all the economic and social data and critical analyses, not once did I read a statement pertaining to the Catholic aspect of their stands. We in general forget that we are not merely social scientists, natural or applied scientists, managers, or artistic scholars. We are, as a majority, Catholic. Our organizations exist under a Catholic perspective. We can continue saying, as most of above mentioned organizations mentioned, that we are for the RH Bill because it is "beneficial to the poor", and it "supports women's health rights", and that it is "needed in our third world situation," but the call to us is not merely to know reality in the social perspective, but we must also realize our role as Church in the proceedings. Where is the critical analyses of church documents? Where is the Theology? Where is Splagchnizomai? What our education fails to incorporate in us is this: We are Catholic scientists. We are Catholic managers. We are Catholic artists. The call as a university is to meld Science and Catholicism. This is the original virtue of the first universities established by the Church hundreds of years ago. This is the virtue of our university. The divorce of our academics and our Theology is heartbreaking. In this sense, can we truly say we, the collective Ateneo de Manila, are a Catholic university?

Famous People, Famous Words.

2008-11-30T12:29:00.000+08:00

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away" -Antoine de Saint Exupery

"Man is the cruelest animal" -Friedrich Nietzsche

"The Filipino is worth dying for" -Ninoy Aquino Jr.

"Forevers are composed of Nows" -Emily Dickenson

"Your mistakes and losses are as important as your achievements and gains; they show you how strong you are despite your limitations" - Anjo Benedict Fabellon

HAYOP ANJO! NICE POSE PARE!
picture copyright Fionna dela Cruz 2008

The Social Project NEW UPDATES and TO DO LIST

2008-11-29T12:48:00.000+08:00

P.S. to all others who may read this, maybe you'd like to join in as well? We need help. :) We're putting up a mini social program we would like to implement...

Good Morning Friends!

Here's a list of what we need to start up our little project...

1) We need a name.
2) We need a list of mga kasapi :D
3) Objectives/Rationale
- Concept Paper (objectives part) (2 people can make this)
- For public schools
- Discuss who we are and why we're doing this.
- Discuss the need for education in written English.
- Discuss benefits of knowing English
- Discuss the deficiency of English programs in public schools (cite NAT
sources etc. I'll get the data from ACED). Data also available on net.
- For private schools
- Discuss who we are and why we're doing this.
- Discuss the need for education in written English.
- Discuss benefits of knowing English
- Discuss the deficiency of English programs in public schools (cite NAT
sources etc. I'll get the data from ACED). Data also available on net.
- Discuss the Social Development Initiatives of the Church (I have documents)
- Discuss the need to know the social situation.
4) Program
- Initial implementation member schools (get in touch) (2 people can do this)
- 2 private schools
- Principals and CLE coordinators
- Talk to them if school is willing to participate
- Send them a copy of the concept paper and invite to participate.
- 2 public schools
- Principals and city DepEd superintendent
- Talk to Principal if school willing to participate if superintendent is OK
- Give concept paper and explain + lots of follow up.
- Send them a copy of the concept paper and invite to participate.
- Method (2 people can do this)
- Discuss program mechanics (method part of concept paper)
- Weekly topics for letters (have to be detailed so private students
learn what they are meant to learn about the social situation).
- Instructions:

General moshed up Instructions of the project:

Gr.6 kids from a public school
HS4 kids from a private school

Gr. 6 kids will write weekly english language letters to HS4 kids... HS4 kids correct grammar, spelling, etc. and return corrected piece along with a reply. There's a holistic plan as to what they have to learn about their corresponder througout the program (1 year?).

The Gr. 6 kids learn English, and the HS4 kids learn the social reality of poverty (in greater detail) it's win win for everyone.

In yellow: being done by Anjo

In red: being done by Mic

In orange: being done by Irae

no highlight: NOT DONE YET. Can someone please write the process of the project (General Proces and Instructions) down in proper paragraph form please? Para it sounds good...

In gray: finished.

UPDATES:

we picked 2 Publics and 2 Privates na...

CSA Makati and Malate Catholic will be the Private... unless the rest have other ideas? (Kasi di nag meet kaya kami nalang ni Talitha nag meet)

Aurora Quezon ES and RAfael Palma ES will be Public. Both are in the city of Manila.

WE NEED A NAME. Someone please suggest a name :(

The Final WIsh

2008-11-28T15:22:00.000+08:00

When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some
Reasons to be missed

And don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory...

Forgetting
All the hurt inside
You've learned to hide so well

Pretending
Someone else can come and save me from myself..

I can't be who you are...

I can't be who you are...

Leave Out All the Rest -Linkin Park

Pet Lion

2008-11-28T12:21:00.000+08:00

The best thing in life..Everlasting friendship Amigos para sempres @ Yahoo! Video

I WANT A PET LION!!!!!!! :'( Does this work for tigers?

Hello forgotten friends out there... I'm reconnecting!!!

PLEASE READ The Social Idea (Need Partners)

2008-11-27T14:43:00.000+08:00

I have a sort of Outreach idea that I want to pitch to you guys...

basically it's an english mentoring program between public and private schools...

It involves Grade 6 kids from public schools and 4th year high kids frm Private schools.

The Gr. 6 kids learn English, and the HS4 kids learn the social reality of poverty (in greater detail) it's win win for everyone.

Well... I plan to start this up soon... I need partners and co planners... I was thinking we could start in 2 Private schools and 2 Public schools... I was thinking CSA and MCS (Talits...) What initially needs to be done is to talk to the Principals and CLE coordinators of the Private schools and pitch them the idea... then to talk to Public school principals and superintendents to have them agree... I was thinking free paper and pens for the classes (Public) that involve themselves?

We can always get sponsors and or go for donation drives... or we could scrap the free paper pens... anyway... its just an idea that needs editing and stuff from you guys... You guys willing to join in the fun? It's for a great cause :). Plus most of you are still bums anyway >:)

Jurjurethics 2: The Satyriatic Nerdoks

2008-11-26T08:16:00.000+08:00

Nerd- as defined by urban dictionary.

Everyone lusts for horny nerds.

Can you imagine it? Suspenders stretched over low arching shoulders... Thick framed glasses that accentuate the color of their eyes... Plaid shirts, tucked in, showing off that taught body frame... Tight, diaphragm high pants, impishly framing their groins... It's the Betty la Fea stereotype fused with the raw sexual will of a dominatrix. It's the Satyriatic/Nymphomaniac Nerd.

So what is this about?
I saw a condom poster with a nerd (as described above) smiling at you, condom in hand.
Well for one, it just seems wrong... the whole concept of a nerd buying condoms. It just gives an unneccessary sexual twist to a wholesome, tried and tested stereotype. What's the point anyway? Are they trying to attract a nerd demographic? What would they do with it, masturbate with a condom on so it won't spill everywhere? Anyway...

Stereotyped objects of sexual attraction. It's a complex thing. Princess Leia in chains, or Japanese school girl, it's a diverse field of imagined debauchery. I once had an acquaintance who had a thing for women wearing bloodied up butcher's aprons. Another one of my friends has a thing for asian dominatrices.

Call it a fetish thing, but it's odd how everyone's fetishes differ from each other, and more often than not, your fetish reflects on your personality. A female friend of mine who had reciprocation issues (as in no one reciprocated the love she offered, no matter how hard she tried) had a nerd fetish. Upon delving deeper into the matter, what appealed most to her was the fact that her nerd stereotype in mind was dependent and clingy. Her stereotyped object of sexual attraction was the type that was so grateful to her for hitting on them, that they would look no place else, and would devote themselves to her. Another example would be my acquaintance who liked women-butchers. He has boundary issues. He is the type who doesn't know when to stop. The butcheress (?) serves as a sort of authority figure for him. It is somewone who gives bounds... sort of like a dominatrix, but bloodier. It's just odd that personal aspects of a person's ego persona are deflected upon a person's sexual persona... In Freudian terms, I guess repression by ego builds into Id, then gets sublimed by creating a personal fetish. Aggression and Sex. hahaha.

The Annual AdMU-UP-MC Wet T-Shirt Competition!

2008-11-24T10:24:00.000+08:00

The Annual

Ateneo de Manila University

University of the Philippines- Diliman

Miriam College

WET T-SHIRT COMPETITION

Eliminations are from September to November 2008

Semi-Finals December 2008

Finals January 2008!

See students from top universities and colleges battle it out in the rain!

hear them scream!

See them running, all those wet chicks!!! (basang sisiw)

Mechanics:

Ilang tangang tao ang walang dalang umbrella during rainy season?

Araw araw nalang. 'Di na natuto! As in!

Bukas na bukas pa naman ang Katipunan!

Kasama na ako dun!

VOTE FOR ME!!!! MIC CABAUATAN! DI NA NATUTO NA PALAGING UMUULAN SA KATIPUNAN!!!!

Paperchaser

2008-11-21T10:27:00.000+08:00

According to the great philosopher Rihanna, featuring Dr. TI, instead of chasing that paper, I should live my life. (ey!) my life (ey!) my life (ey!) my life. Yes, I'm a paper chaser, just living my life.

I will be a shining star
fancy clothes & fancy car

You will see

I'm gonna go far

and everyone knows... who I are :D

maiaheee..

Rihanna disappointed me.

2008-11-17T16:01:00.000+08:00

The back to back concert was fun. (Thank you Meg for the libre close up tickets!) Chris Brown was the best. As a performer, wow. Then he took his barong off (girls go wild)... was that necessary? Anyway.. Rihanna wasn't at her best. She was fun, but it came to a point that instead of concentrating on her songs, I was staring at her thighs (since she was wearing her famous black underwear) and thinking to myself, "Is that cellulite?" She herself said it best, "I never expected y'all to be so quiet." Then you see her desperation to rouse the crowd by shouting, "make some mother fucking noise!" Priceless. Rihanna swearing... hmmm...

The Umbrella/Cinderella duet at the end was heart-stopping. I LOVED it.

We Will. We Should. We Might.

2008-11-13T14:02:00.000+08:00

The problem with poverty is that it is unsightly. It is families of ten, making most of two square meters worth of living space. It is small children in tears, shivering in the cold rain begging you to buy their flowers. It is an emaciated man; his ribs seen clear through his paled skin, expressions of pain carved onto his face. It is our country’s future, cognitively deficient due to nutritional deprivation. It is disgusting. It is uncomfortable. We, who consider ourselves the developed, the educated, cannot stand the reality of such lack. Something has to be done about it. That is why we build walls to hide the urban poor’s existence, and we call the police to send the transient beggars to jail. There. Now the metro is pretty again. This doesn’t do our educated status justice. Aesthetics is the norm. It was never the solution.

If aesthetics is the norm, then poverty is the disease. Maybe it’s time to realize that in our society, at least for 26 million of our countrymen, poverty is the norm, and our extravagance is the disease. Substantial steps must be taken to address this issue.

I was privileged to witness a landmark event in world history. In the year 2000, I along with a friend from my high school, and a few friends from my days as a student volunteer in Malate Church were in Remedios Circle in Manila for the Philippine launch of the Millennium Development Goals of The U.N. The two of us from my high school were only 12 then, and the other people with us were in their teens. Inspired by the wonderful display of hope and passion to eradicate world poverty, we promised each other to continue working for the good of our fellowman. We were determined, that with the U.N.’s guidance, and the determination in our hearts, the world would be rid of poverty by 2015, and we would be part of this great effort. Halfway through the program, it seems even the U.N. has lost hope. 7 years after our promise of service, I and my friend are in College; hopeless of our cause, on the brink of despair. We used to think our idealism could change the world. Now our greatest challenge is changing our social class’ minds. Our friends from Malate who had lived in the nearby squatter area had since been evicted. Of the five of them, only one had finished college. This is the reality of apathy and poverty. We fail to care, and the world sinks lower.

Ateneans: Public Schools Need You for a DAY.

2008-11-13T13:22:00.000+08:00

The Ateneo Center for Educational Development need volunteers to help sort donated goods.

There are two container vans worth of goods, all donated by the people of Guam. We need volunteer workers to help us sort the goods into basic categories. It will take only a few hours, if not an hour of your time. You can volunteer by emailing me, or by emailing aced.admu@yahoo.com Sorting goes on from Dec. 1 to Dec. 20 There's also a gift pack packing (ano?) activity from the last week of November, to Dec. 11. This is for the Advent Recollection for public school teachers on Dec. 13. Oh, and ACED Volunteers get to sign up as OICs for the packing... ask ate Mai or anyone of us officers for details >.<

I'll post again in a week or so to remind you people.

The Final Schedule for 2nd Sem 2008 (As in Final)

2008-11-08T18:16:00.000+08:00

Anyway... This is my final (sucky) schedule. Chemistry at 730 in the morning. WONDERFUL!
I have 2 Jesuit professors (again). They would be Fr. Antonio De Castro SJ and Fr. Jaime Bulatao SJ. The DLSU people should know him from the Hiya essay of Zeus Salazar. I'm a bit excited for the subjects... Cell and Molecular Bio under sir Russell should be a blast. Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy... I guess I took this over Educational Psychology because... deep inside I haven't given up on Clinical. My Th141 (basically Liberation Theology) is under

Harvey Keh. He's the one who started Pathways to Higher Education... so I guess I picked a practical experience based professor versus the theoretical Liberatore. Anyway... ayun...

Jurjurethics 1

2008-11-06T10:13:00.000+08:00

Jur Jur (As defined by urban dictionary)

When it comes to the experiential aspect of jur jur, I'm not really one who knows anything, as can be assessed from my general physical state and social demeanor. I like to think though that jur jur is a more complex human aspect than simply one that is experientially genital. Man's jur jur complex, it's roots, it's causes, it's methods, and ultimately, it's goals, consequences, and effects seem to indicate a complex of human operators working under a collective human sexuality. In the masculine sense, it's not just about someones pototoy, and the long list of possible holes and pseudo holes it can inhabit. It's not simply about airplanes in bushy-bushy mountain caves.
The whole jur jur complex begins when your dad waits longingly for that inch long dangling muscular organ to pop out of your mother's womb during your delivery. It then continues on to your first fist fight, or it's more exhibisionist counterpart, the pahabaan ng ano. It then develops into a lifetime of other seemingly normal masculine behavior, such as wearing blue, not pink, not crying, even when faced with epic loss, and even the simple fact that you wash your jur jur properly with soap. In the masculine sense, the jur jur complex is merely these small collective masculinities, expressed in the fact of man loving his jur jur action above most things.
Assuming that the jur jur complex is a more social, not entirely genital matter, by what authority do I write about it? It is simply by my own experience as a developed masculine entity, and the second hand experiences I will share, mostly in the experiential aspect of jur jur. I trust my sources. You should too. This is about jur jur. It does not dwell on the what, although detailing is immanent, but rather how it is seen, how the complex exists, and how it is experienced. All of this of course in the Mic-ro (say it like a black man would) perspective. It's time to talk about your jur jur.

It's the Most Wonerful(ly Consumerist) Time of the Year

2008-11-05T16:55:00.000+08:00

Christmas... I understand that everybody's happy and whatever because everyone thinks it's a time of celebration, and I'm not here to ruin the season, so I'll leave the Christmas lecture for some other post. This will be my consumerist Christmas post. WISHLIST 2008.

Literature:

[ ] Naked- David Sedaris

[ ] Me Talk Pretty One Day- David Sedaris

[ ] When You Are Engulfed in Flames- David Sedaris

[ ] Complete Prose of Woody Allen- Woody Allen

[ ] Night Train- Martin Amis

[ ] Yellow Dog- Martin Amis

[ ] Sputnik Sweetheart- Haruki Murakami

[ ] Dance Dance Dance- Haruki Murakami

[ ] After Dark- Haruki Murakami

[ ] Trese- Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo

Mac:

[x] Macbook (c/o parentals)

[ ] Macbook protective case (clear)- found in Power Mac Center

[ ] Macbook hard leather bag (black or red)- found in Power Mac Center

[ ] Mac Mouse- found in Power Mac Center

[ ] MS Office for Mac OSX (kahit fake)- kay dibidi boy

[ ] The Sims 2 Collection for Mac OSX (kahit fake)- kay dibidi boy

Misc:

[ ] (5 slots) Pilot Gel Pen .5 (clicky-clicky)- National Bookstore

[ ]

[ ] (3 slots) Mongol Pencil #3 (in packs of 3)- National Bookstore

[ ]

[ ] Moleskin 2009 Weekly Diary (small size)- Fully Booked, Sketchbooks

[ ] Wallet (kahit ano basta cute)

I Suggest You As A Friend

2008-10-30T18:15:00.000+08:00

Rl Nepomuceno and Cheyenne Sison are now friends. You suggested this friendship. You can suggest more people that Cheyenne may know by following this link:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?profile.php&id=721812830&suggestfriends

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

Facebook annoys me. First they want me to "Make Babies" with some random guy, and now they say I'm a friendmaker.

scenario: (LPEP day 1)
Mic: hey, you're Nepo right?
Nepo: Yeah. You?
Mic: Mic. I'm Mic. Oh, btw, have you met Yeng?
Nepo: Yeah, I met her earlier, the rocker chick right?
Mic: yeah, yeah. I don't know you guys that well, but you should be friends.
Nepo: What?
Mic: You and Yeng should be friends. I suggest your friendship.

Do you guys get the semantic annoyance? Facebook sucks.

3rd Year- 2nd Sem

2008-10-30T05:50:00.002+08:00

Most of my subjects are for Seniors, and since the Seniors enlisted a day ahead of me.... *crap*

So far, I'm only sure of 3 out of 6 subjects...

Psy108 (Social Psychology) MWF 830-930 (TBA, hoping it's Dr. Intal)

Bi149 (Cell and Molecular Biology) MWF 1130-1230 (Sir Julian! :D)

Hi165 (Rizal and the Emergence of the Filipino People) TH 3-430 (Fr. De Castro S.J.)

so...

Psy115 (Current Issues)

Ch11 (Genereal Chemistry 4! :p)

Th141/151 (Liberation Theology/Catholic Synthesis)

are still unlisted for me :(...

I'm hoping to get either Fr. Bulatao S.J. for Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy or Fr. Nampet S.J. for Educational Psychology for Current Issues...

I'm hoping they buffer me into the Dr. Gross Ch11 class...

I hope they buffer me in for Liberatore's Th141. I am THE Liberatore FAN! I've wanted to be in his class forever :(

3rd Year- 2nd Sem

2008-10-30T05:50:00.001+08:00

Most of my subjects are for Seniors, and since the Seniors enlisted a day ahead of me.... *crap*

So far, I'm only sure of 3 out of 6 subjects...

Psy108 (Social Psychology) MWF 830-930 (TBA, hoping it's Dr. Intal)

Bi149 (Cell and Molecular Biology) MWF 1130-1230 (Sir Julian! :D)

Hi165 (Rizal and the Emergence of the Filipino People) TH 3-430 (Fr. De Castro S.J.)

so...

Psy115 (Current Issues)

Ch11 (Genereal Chemistry 4! :p)

Th141/151 (Liberation Theology/Catholic Synthesis)

are still unlisted for me :(...

I'm hoping to get either Fr. Bulatao S.J. for Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy or Fr. Nampet S.J. for Educational Psychology for Current Issues...

I'm hoping they buffer me into the Dr. Gross Ch11 class...

I hope they buffer me in for Liberatore's Th141. I am THE Liberatore FAN! I've wanted to be in his class forever :(

3rd Year- 2nd Sem

2008-10-30T05:50:00.000+08:00

Most of my subjects are for Seniors, and since the Seniors enlisted a day ahead of me.... *crap*

So far, I'm only sure of 3 out of 6 subjects...

Psy108 (Social Psychology) MWF 830-930 (TBA, hoping it's Dr. Intal)

Bi149 (Cell and Molecular Biology) MWF 1130-1230 (Sir Julian! :D)

Hi165 (Rizal and the Emergence of the Filipino People) TH 3-430 (Fr. De Castro S.J.)

so...

Psy115 (Current Issues)

Ch11 (Genereal Chemistry 4! :p)

Th141/151 (Liberation Theology/Catholic Synthesis)

are still unlisted for me :(...

I'm hoping to get either Fr. Bulatao S.J. for Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy or Fr. Nampet S.J. for Educational Psychology for Current Issues...

I'm hoping they buffer me into the Dr. Gross Ch11 class...

I hope they buffer me in for Liberatore's Th141. I am THE Liberatore FAN! I've wanted to be in his class forever :(

Opression, Sex, and Life

2008-10-28T15:06:00.000+08:00

Note: If you don't read this, you care too little about this hell hole you call home. This is all about the reproductive health bill (appendixed) and the Oct 15 statement by 14 of Ateneo's faculty regarding the said bill (appendixed). Please take the time to read both articles, and of course, try to familliarize yourselves with the different viewpoints in order to come to the proper conclusions. I would add the CBCP stand (as in the theologically thought out, much like the faculty stand) but I can't seem to find it. If anyone has a copy, please send me a copy :) email: mic.cabauatan@yahoo.com

Dear friends,

Greetings of peace.

Please find attached the position paper entitled "Catholics Can
Support the RH Bill in Good Conscience" by 14 individual faculty of
the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), on the Reproductive Health
Bill (HB 5043). The authors of this paper come from six different
departments of the ADMU: Economics, Interdisiplinary Studies,
Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology-Anthropology, and Theology.

We would like to stress that the views of the 14 faculty, as expressed
in the position paper, are solely theirs and do not necessarily
reflect the views of their respective departments nor other Ateneo
faculty. Neither do they represent the official position of the Ateneo
de Manila University nor the Society of Jesus.

A brief summary of the entire position paper, as well as the stand of
the authors on the RH Bill, can be found in the final section of the
main paper, entitled "A Call of Conscience: Catholics in Support of
the RH Bill." We hope, however, that you will be able to read the
entire paper, as it provides research-based empirical evidence, upon
which we built our position on this issue.

Thank you very much, and we hope that you can help us disseminate to
the public our paper's findings and our stand on the RH Bill.

Sincerely,

Marita Castro Guevara (Department of Interdisciplinary Studies)
Raymond B. Aguas (Department of Theology)
Liane Peña Alampay (Department of Psychology)
Fernando T. Aldaba (Department of Economics)
Remmon E. Barbaza (Department of Philosophy)
Manuel B. Dy, Jr. (Department of Philosophy)
Elizabeth Uy Eviota (Department of Sociology-Anthropology)
Roberto O. Guevara (Department of Theology)
Anne Marie A. Karaos (Department of Sociology-Anthropology)
Michael J. Liberatore (Department of Theology)
Liza L. Lim (Department of Sociology-Anthropology)
Cristina Jayme Montiel (Department of Psychology)
Mary Racelis (Department of Sociology-Anthropology)
Agustin Martin G. Rodriguez (Department of Philosophy)

15 October 2008

Mic is Closed for Renovation

2008-10-23T13:13:00.000+08:00

Proof that I do, in fact, perspire by choice.

As part of the whole developmental overhaul of my entirety, I made a snap decision one night to join a gym.

Iris: "I can't go with you guys tommorrow. I'm going to the gym."
Mic: "What? Why?! Anorexic freak!"
Iris: "Sama ka na rin!"
Mic: "Okay."

It's been 4 straight days of running, cycling, tugging, and moving. I payed for a month, so I guess I have to show up daily for at least 20 of the 31 days I had payed for. I worked out my next sem schedule to include at least an hour of manual labor every MWF or THS. I actually payed for a month's worth of pain. A truly ironic purchase. Of course the pesci veggie diet comes with part 1 of Mic Overhaul 2008-2009, so yay! I'm a vegetarian again!

Gyms are funny... in a way it truly is like it's namesake, the Greek Gymnasium... all those people getting physical, showing off, and competing for who has the longest... throw.

I would like to thank my best friends:

Tofu

Gatorade

Coke Light and Coke Zero

Iris

The Mac is a Go!

2008-10-20T16:51:00.000+08:00

I can get the
2.4 GHz 160GB HD 2GB IM White MacBook for 54K
250GB HD 2.4 GHz 4GB IM BlackMac Bookfor 62K

all thanks to being an Atenean. Wow. Now THAT is exclusivity and possibly elitism. >.<

The Market of Manila

2008-10-20T15:53:00.000+08:00

The Market of Manila

In any city in the world, the one singular area where you can best get a feel of the identity of the city is its market. It is in these clusters of commercial shops that a person gets a proper feel of the realities of the metropolis, and the subjects, fears, and mind sets of the general populace. This is because it is precisely the market that feeds the metropolis’ very needs and desires. Every possible whim of the metropolis is fed by the market. The types of food the populace consumes, the types of clothing they wear, and the technology they use, the very lifestyle of the populace is based on its desires, manifested by virtue of supply and demand in the marketplace. The market isn’t simply a physical picture of consumption, but also a very clear picture of the attitudes and behavior of the populace. It is precisely this very dance of power relations that come into play that makes the market highly interesting. It is the interplay between individual consumers with individual sellers, and the deployment of commercial law upon the entire situation. It is the very mechanisms used by sellers to lure consumers. It is advertising, and fast-talking. It is the methods of the shrewd consumer to ascertain the best bargain possible. It is the capability to haggle, and the intensive scrutiny given in picking products. It is the consumer protection act and the agents of government ministries for industry that maintain price equilibrium and mandatory quality inspections. Even the very architecture of the market plays its role. All these mechanisms are the representation of the populace’s reality, and as will be seen later on, maybe it too moulds the very reality it represents.

The City of Manila has a variety of public markets to explore, but the most prominent of all these markets, dare anyone say the most infamous, would be Divisoria. One of the, if not he densest commercial cluster in the country, Divisoria isn’t a simple market place. A multi complex shopping center consisting of a dry goods area, which is a complicated mix of practically everything anyone needs that isn’t edible. “Not edible” includes fast food. The dry goods area is a surprising mix of clothing stores, basic electronics stores, illegal DVD merchants, general merchandise stores, and the commercial restaurants that come with the Philippine mall culture. All these combined in a cramped space that can barely allow mice to fit between stalls. The wet area is infinitely vaster, and contains the wet market, the sprawling mess of sidewalk vendors selling their wares on the sidewalk, and even in the middle of the street, plus the highly specialized merchants that sold aluminum wares, glassware, Styrofoam products, etc. The roads are basically impassible due to the sidewalk vendors who should be reclassified as road vendors, and although there are regulations against blocking the roadway, certain mechanisms have been employed to ensure their space.

Consumer as Panopticon

Foucault described the architecture of the Panopticon in his work ”Discipline and Punish.” The major architectural framework of the panoptic mechanism was that of a tower, overseeing the populace to be disciplined. It is a space wherein no action of the populace can be hidden, but of course, the populace has no idea it is being monitored. This is to instill a sense of self-policing, where the very individuals, for fear of being caught by the tower and punished, behave in the manner prescribed. As Shumway describes it, “a coercive observation that attains its ends by making the one subjected aware that their actions may be seen.” If we take a closer look at the very structure of most Philippine malls, especially those in Divisoria, (Divisoria Mall and Tutuban Mall) there is an obvious form of the Panopticon at work. A wide central space, wherein one can peer into most of the stalls from a high point in the building can serve as one form of Panopticon. The mall is designed so that from certain points in the architecture, one can see majority of the stalls in the area. Instead of closing off an entire floor, the developers opt to place pillars of space that span the vertical axis of the building, so consumers get a better view of the stores. Another mechanism would be the glass windows. The very fact that most of the stalls use glass windows in a way ensures that the consumer is able to take an unhindered look into the merchandise inside. This ensures that all products, or at least those hat the seller wishes to be seen, are under the direct scrutiny of the consumer. This then in a way ensures the quality and aesthetic pleasantry of the stalls and the products. The sellers now give an effort to lure the consumer. It is also a form of self-policing. It is precisely as Foucault described, the “functional inversion of discipline.” We can say that the sellers become more efficient. They find better ways of luring consumers. They develop methods to best suit the needs of consumers. There is growth, initiated by the very fact that they think hey are being observed. As Thomas Dumm said, “the Panopticon is a function of fictitious relations,” as the relation only truly happens when the consumer takes notice of the product, which in the most case, doesn’t happen. So as was mentioned, the very consumer plays the role of the Panopticon. As in the figure of power in the Panopticon, it can be any random soul. The very fact that there are thousands of consumers there means that sellers try to conform to the needs and pleasures of the thousands that could buy their ware. The very structure of the stall changes or rather modifies the very behavior of the sellers, simply because of the illusion that attention is always on them.

That is the beauty of the disciplinary system, and the type of Panopticon within Philippine malls.

Functional Spaces

It being a market, Divisoria is almost always a place of a thousand people milling around the gigantic area. As was mentioned earlier, what’s so remarkable about Divisoria is that basically anything the metropolitan inhabitant would need or want can be found there. In the vast intertwining roads and turns of Divisoria though, how can one find what they are looking for? Imagine the chaos of looking for a singular object in a vast area. It truly a needle in a haystack situation. Or is it? Foucault describes distribution of bodies into spaces as one of the fundamentals of disciplinarity. This is precisely seen in the context of Divisoria as well. Foucault initially mentioned enclosures as the first point of distribution. As was mentioned earlier, there are enclosures wherein stores are meant to be put up. In the dry area, the very enclosure is the mall itself, whereas in the wet area, there are designated spaces for stalls, although in reality, many stalls go beyond the allowed limited area. Then there is partitioning. The fact that individualized stalls exist for each selling group or individual exists means that a form of partitioning is existent. Even in the wet area, individualized stalls exist for individualized sellers, although the sheer mass of them side by side makes a space as if continuous. The third point Foucault brought up was that of functional spaces. This is where the complications of Divisoria kick in.

Functional spaces, according to Foucault, not only serve an administrative purpose, to ensure the organization of the market, but also to ensure the productivity of the area. This simply means that theoretically in a market system, those with similar goods are grouped together in a similar area. In Divisoria, it’s a bit more complex than a simple grouping. Let us first take a closer look at the dry area, especially the Divisoria and Tutuban Malls. Although at first glance it all seems entirely chaotic, with masses of random stalls littered all over the place, and the only group of stalls that seem to have been clustered together is he restaurants. Of course even in the stalls themselves some have a set theme to their merchandise such as clothes, or curtains, but most try to sell everything from clothes, to bags, to shoes, and electronics. We have to take into consideration though the fact that most of what they sell in the dry area of the mall is what most of the metropolis would deem disposable needs and wants, such as clothes, toys, videos, footwear, etc. Take also into consideration that the point of Divisoria sellers is to make money. Also, remember that since people tend to look for what they need, then later on for what they want, the earlier you see the object, the more inclined you are to buy it from the first store you see that offers it. Taking all these into account, we see a complex picture that this disorganization may actually be a mechanism against the very system of competition that exists in a market. At closer scrutiny, owners don’t simply have a single stall that sells a singular product. Some of them have two or three stalls at different locations in the mall. The basic picture is that a consumer enters the mall looking precisely for the thing they need. They immediately go to the first stall that offers it. Usually many buyers are compulsive so they buy the object at the first store. Then the consumer looks for other things he might need or want. Since most stores carry basically everything, they buy from there as well. This may be due to some sort of “suki” system, or maybe by impulse as well, the fact remains that this system of multiproduct stalls is a mechanism for maximizing profit. Owners have multiple stalls so that they cover more than a single area. This is why usually; the stores at the front of the main aisle, especially near the entrances are those with general merchandise. While those in the inner areas are more specialized, usually clothes, bags, shoes, and DVDs. This is because the prior mentioned products are highly aesthetic in value. You don’t just buy them for function, but also as an aesthetic device. People like variety to be able to make a proper choice, and that’s why the inner stalls sell only these products. As DVDs are concerned, the more specialized stalls have a wider range of titles, so for the movie fanatic or TV show fanatic that’s looking for a rare title, only these inner specialized shops have them. The system therefore is not crude, but rather, it as Foucault said, has a hidden meaning, a “practice that remains silent, that opens up to a new field of rationality.” We see that although seemingly a mess, functional spaces do exist, but in a way that undermines the very competitive system that defines a market, of course this deviance to the stereotypical market system creates its own organized unspoken social rules, and the discourse and interplay of power still continues.

Outside the malls though, we see a clearer picture of theoretical functional spaces. The wet market outside is divided into three general areas, that of highly specialized merchants, that of the non-produce merchants and that of the produce. The produce area is the most theoretically organized area, although the general waste problem creates a rotting, stinking mass of an area where decay and freshness fuse in an ironic, cramped area. The fresh market starts in the basement of the Divisoria Mall and outward into the main road. It is separated into the fish, meat, and produce sections, as is usually the case with most markets. The functional spaces are more distinct here, because each area has specialized architectural mechanisms to fit each area. The fish and seafood section has a water drainage system that allows water used to wet the seafood, and water dripping from the ice used in keeping the seafood fresh to simply flow off into drainage areas. Also, the stalls are made of tile, as to facilitate the water flow. The meat section has high bars in its stalls and hooks where butchers can hang their meats. Unlike the seafood area, the meat section’s stalls are concrete, and no such drainage system exists. For the most part, vegetable vendors are found outside the basement market, as to air their goods. The stalls are usually wooden, and they place the vegetables on nipa baskets as to facilitate airflow through the vegetables, again to ensure the freshness of the produce.

The highly specialized stores are a different matter. The demand for these goods is less since it is usually co merchants who use heir products like Styrofoam plates, aluminum materials, etc. These types of stores usually have only a singular stall, or rather an office type stall at the ground floor of buildings adjacent to Divisoria mall, facing the main roads. Since people don’t frequent these stores, they have no actual need to advertise as much as normal goods stores. The people who need their products usually come to them automatically. There is not much competition between these types of stores since most have monopolies of the product, or at least very few competitors, so they survive on little effort.

The non-produce merchants are those that sell eating utensils, shirts, slippers, and other things you find inside the mall, except they are in the wet market area. The quality of the products here are usually of lower quality than the products within the mall, but for those again who would rather not enter the mall because it is a distance from the periphery of the wet market, these types of stalls do exist. It is seen then that the device employed by these non-produce vendors are the same as with the general goods vendors within the mall. It is to cater to the needs of the people, without having them look around for where to buy it, as to make use of the compulsiveness of certain buyers. All in all, we see that although a theoretical framework of organization is not visible in the mall as in the case of the non produce vendors in the outside of the malls. This doesn’t mean though that these are not functional sites. The organization may be different as to fit a scheme that minimizes competition, but the fact that the products were laid that way, in that variety is a sort of function in itself. It is precisely as Foucault expressed, and reiterated by Racevskis, that “the connections that link a discourse to bodies results from the discourse’s capacity to produce and to convey power.” It is power that is derived from the social architecture of the Divisoria market. It is about the hidden exercise of power that merchants play out to gain customers and its interplay with customers who sometimes fail to rise against the lure of the buy, so they can continue looking for a better bargain.

Interplay of Power

There are smaller examples of the interplay of power in the market. Although Foucault seems to see things from a macro perspective, talking merely of the importance of the micro, it is precisely in his discussion of the importance of the micro that the discussion on the micro interplay of power in the market system has to be discussed. An example of such micro interplay of power is in the act of haggling. Power is an omnipresence that derives from the interplay of architecture and individuals pressing their wills against other individuals. The haggle is a more visible form of this power interplay between a consumer and a seller. It’s interplay between the consumer, who is trying to get a lower price, or a greater number of products, and the seller trying to widen his margin of profit. It is this simple action of haggling that displays the very subtlety of the mechanisms of power in the market system. Another would be the “suki” system. Sellers call you their “suki” as to establish a form of familiarity and loyalty for their stall. This is a form of personalitic arrangement, a sort of fictitious kinship As Foucault said, “Power wouldn’t be as effective unless part of it’s mechanism was hidden.” It seems like a simple friendly conversation, but the hidden aspect of this power is that it binds you in a way to the store. You become familiar, and the mid set is that you stick to the familiar. It seems as if routine, but really it is a hidden mechanism. This just goes to show that the simplest actions are the very mechanisms wherein disciplinarity operates. It is the interplay of these small actions that display the micro level of power relations.

Deviance and the Physical Market

There is no doubt whatsoever that the Divisoria market is overcrowded. As was mentioned earlier, in the main road itself, stores litter the entire length of it, basically closing it to incoming traffic. The same is true with the many side roads and even alleys of the area. This gigantic mass of merchants, and buyers ten times the number of merchants, is the general population density of the market area. These whole masses of people though are for the most part, not natives of the metropolis. Most are people from the provinces, who have come to Manila in search for job opportunities. Neferti Tadiar, in her essay “Metropolitan Dreams” explains to a certain extent the reason for the great influx of people from the provinces into the metropolis. The article discusses that since the metropolis is the symbol of economic growth of the country, it flourishes, while the provinces, wherein the very produce that sustains the country’s economic growth, steeps deeper into poverty. Seeing the growth of the metropolises, those of the province descend upon the metropolis so that they may share in its growth. The problem is though that the social inequality of the metropolis discriminates against the growing, mostly uneducated labor force that came from the provinces. From this point of view, the social density of the area becomes clear. What is not as clear though is how this very system can feed the very problem it manifests. First observe the cramped structure of the market. Selling wares in the middle of national roads is highly illegal, but it is a reality in Divisoria. Why is this so? As Foucault said in discipline and punish, deviance and crime derive precisely from the very disciplinary society that holds the populace. Deviance is the “escape clause” of the disciplinary society that only shows itself when an aspect of the disciplinary society goes awry. When the system is unmanageable, or when a mechanism becomes too unbearable for the populace, crime and deviance form. Deviance is the very example by which we see that the disciplinary society is not as fatalistic as most people interpret it to be. The very fact that deviance is allowed to a certain degree in a society means that the society in itself acknowledges that it has faults and is willing to see other alternatives to the status quo. The law, which is the representation of the sovereign power in its modern form as government dictates that major roads are to be kept open and passable at all times. Vendors though, disregard this rule, as to be able to occupy a certain space to sell their wares. This tells us that the need for space is greater than the actual space allotted. The deviance serves the purpose of portraying facts of life. The fact that there is a lack of proper functional space, manifested in street vendors, and the fact that the rotting produce is simply thrown to the ground because of lack of a waste mechanism. Another aspect we have to take into consideration is the every fact that there is an overcrowded selling area. As was mentioned earlier, the marketplace is basically the “window to the soul” of the very metropolis itself. Its very wants and needs are manifested in the market, and the social trends that define society. What is metropolitan society then but a mass of people that seem to exponentially grow in population. These people need the very structures like Divisoria to survive. They need the cheap products so that they can make do with their minimal salaries. This is also the case with the poorer merchants who have no choice but to sell on the streets because they have no funds to rent a proper market space. Again, how much can a person from the uneducated lower classes make in metropolitan society? While all this goes on in the hustle and bustle of the market, the large conglomerate that owns the mall space and the stall owners enjoy a growing profit. As their consumers grow in number, so will their profit, until finally when people cannot afford even the cheap quality products of the market. The inequality is blatant, and in times of poverty like this, what other way of expressing dissatisfaction with the society than by crime.

Divisoria is known not just for its cheap products, but also for its infamous reputation for being a thief’s haven. The hustle and bustle and high population density make for perfect scenarios of pick pocketing and snatching. Crime is rampant in Divisoria’s spaces, and the mechanisms of sovereign power can only do so much. The best way to disciplinarity is to employ power so people will self police. The problem is that at the lowest level of human capacity, and due to the fact that it is virtually impossible to monitor such as vast overcrowded area, the panoptic form cannot take hold. It becomes a jungle where it’s every man for himself.

The wet market and it’s stall covered streets have other mechanisms of escaping sovereign power. They take into account the inefficiency of the police system, and formulate ways to hide their enterprise from plain sight when the police decide to apprehend them. There is a watcher, usually a vendor that observes if there are incoming policemen. They are strategically placed at a street corner, He sees policemen arriving, and he shouts a key word, which will automatically send the street vendors packing up their goods and fleeing, or at least seeking sanctuary inside the actual market building. This is just a drastic method for those instances where in case they don’t have enough money to pay off the policemen to leave them alone. These mechanisms of running and hiding when the authorities come have been there for thousands of years, and the street vendors have been using that strategy for as long as most can remember. It would seem that only the policemen then know nothing about it? We can also say though that it is precisely this power play that has supported the vendors all these years, the fact that the police, who represent sovereign power, which is supposedly the panoptic eye of the people, is willing to keep an eye shut if the price is right. The power play is more than just individuals and architecture, but also the very system that runs as the main artery of he market system: currency. Currency wields a type of disciplinary power as well.

Corruption and Sovereign Power

The policemen dragged them into the processing area in handcuffs. There were about 20 of them; all of them illegal vendors caught selling whatever goods they had on the streets of Divisoria. Their names were taken down, and their belongings were confiscated from them. Then they were put in detention cells for further processing. Their belongings as per law are supposed to be handed over to the precinct, to be processed, and may be returned to the owners, or may be auctioned off. As this batch of illegal merchants were concerned though, the policemen who caught then decided to give the confiscated items away to his neighbors and family members. That is of course blatant corruption, but if we look at the situation, who will accuse the policeman of corruption? The jailed illegal merchants who are treated like nobodies, simply excess humans in an overpopulated neighborhood? The very strength of the disciplinary power of the state is that there is a checks and balance system. The problem is that no such mechanism exists in the market. The mindset of the people is that currency out powers sovereign power. The very system that has merchants paying off policemen to allow them to sell in illegal areas, or to sell without the proper taxes and licenses, leads us to the belief that currency really does overpower the sovereign. It modifies our beliefs, and ultimately our behavior towards bribery and corruption. It’s normalization in a corrupt sense. We are made to believe corruption is a way of life, so we do it as well as if it were a natural thing. In a place of course where the very mechanisms supposed to hinder you from corruption are either themselves corrupt or are inadequate, one is doomed to be lost in the interplay of a majority normalized to corruption versus a singular voice of virtue. It’s ironic that the structures of sovereign power: the palace, police stations etc. use see through fences and glass windows as to give a sense of transparency to the operation. The very point of glass doors and windows is so the people within act like there is nothing to hide, but even the power derived from normalization due to architecture seems to be overshadowed by another type of power. The very institution that supposedly serves as social Panopticon not only blinds itself by refusing to see his jurisdiction, but it also deprives to some sense the systems of checks and balances in place. In summary, sovereign power seems to be helpless, and law becomes merely words, as the very operatives of disciplinarity have deviated from it.

Manila’s Market as Disciplinary Mechanism

In Manila’s market place, there is no doubt that power truly interplays between individuals. There is the push and pull of consumer and seller, where one tried to exercise their power over the other ultimately to serve economy. There is the panoptic viewpoint of the consumer, where they give a sense of close scrutiny to the sellers, which forces the sellers to form mechanisms of luring the consumers to their stall. There are the small interplays of power in the way of haggling, and the suki system. The point helps us to understand that power is best used when a part of it is unseen. Then the realization that the intricate workings of systems of functional spaces. We see how the functional spaces affect the very behavior of the individuals. We also see the harsh reality that the high population density of Divisoria is an effect of inequality. Also how inequality figures in the whole system of power relations. There is the will to survive, and deviance as a call to a change of the status quo. We see how sovereign power related with the market system, and why the seeming chaos of the market system is the effect of the sovereign’s lack of control over the very panoptic agents it had employed, namely the police force. In this sense we can say that we have truly beheaded the king, unfortunately, the disequilibria of potential power is unsafe.

All in all, can we say that Manila’s market system is a disciplinary society? In some ways it is, as it employs many strategies employed by disciplinary societies. There is the use of functional sites, partitioning, and the need for a space. The point of distribution of bodies exists, although the population density makes it difficult. It is obvious though that the checks and balance between sovereign and individual are jeopardized by the very sovereign power and its view of the populace as excess humans. Also obvious is the irony of the architecture of transparency, versus its use as blatant corruption. The point of currency and how people are normalized to start believing that it can rise above the power of the very sovereign is also established. It may be flawed in these senses, but the operatives of disciplinarity are there, and it is obvious that the interplay of power is there. The whole thing may not be a completely disciplinary mechanism by definition, but it is still a marvelous sight to behold, with all the mechanisms it had developed to cope with the population density, the inability of sovereign power to control them, and their high regard for the power of currency.

A Succint Moral Theology of Sin

2008-10-20T15:11:00.000+08:00

These 8 pages will rock your moral world.

The first of our Theo 4.0 papers. We're damn proud, so hell, I'm posting it!

A Succinct Moral Theology of Sin

Mic Cabauatan

Ley Capili

Charls delos Reyes

Chan delos Santos

Kesy Pormento

based on the lectures of Fr. Adolfo Dacanay SJ J.C.D.

1. Explain the 3 reasons for asserting the notion of person

It is often said that a man is only as good as his actions. This in a certain sense is an undeniable truth. The human person is both with and of his actions. It can be said that it is precisely his humanity that gives him his will to act, and therefore by transitivity, and through the fact that actions are not merely manifestations of will but rather the will itself, the actions show the reality of a person. What we tend to forget though is the continuity of human experience. Humanity cannot be defined simply by how it acts, it is not simply of its actions. It is with its actions as well. There must be a dividing line that separates the action from the person. If this line is forgotten, humanity is objectified. It is precisely the ‘person’ of a human that gives importance to the actions they do. This simply points out that experience is personal. All acts are done by the person in relation to itself or to other persons. It is precisely the personality of experience that ensures that action which is a response to experience is just as personal.

The person is then seen gain responsibility for his actions. Human action is human will, which is personal, and relates to itself and to others. We must also remember though the continuity of human experience. We are not simply freeze frames in time, but entities constantly undergoing formation, which can only be brought about by action. We can never truly say that we are not the same person as yesterday because of human continuity. We must also remember that responsibility for our actions must be taken, as our actions are of our person. It is the reality that we are both of and with our actions, and that our actions are personal, deliberate acts of will, that allows us to understand human continuity, and the accountability and responsibility that are tied to human actions.

2. Show me that you understand the distinction between the human being as agent and human being as person

The basic difference between human as agent and human as person is in how one looks at the actor. Human as agent sees the actor merely as a doer of the action. Emphasis is given on the action, and not the human person. A thief is merely the act of thievery, as a person enrolled in university is merely a student. In this sense, the actor is seen as an object, or maybe the person is said to be a circumstance of the action. He is merely the actor, who is an observable empirical object. This is then contrasted by the paradigm of human as person. The paradigm looks at the actor precisely as ‘person.’ Person gives the objectified actor his humanity. The actor is then seen as more than his action but as a being whose actions affect him as human person. In this paradigm we see not merely the act of thievery, but also the fact that the act is consequential to the human person. We see the circumstances behind the act, and how this singular distinct act, affects the reality and outlook of the actor. The person’s actions are not merely physical manifestations of the person’s will but it is the will. It is said that a person is both one and separate from his actions. This basic philosophical concept is the foundation of human as agent. If a person’s will is his actions, then can we not say that his actions are what matter? The problem with this though is that it forgets that although actions are objectifiable, the human person, and his changeable nature is not. Man’s nature as person transcends objectivity.

3. Distinguish between categorical freedom and transcendental freedom

Man’s answer to the superabundance of reality is precisely organization. The human mind works as a machine that organizes and categorizes all incoming data into usable packets and classifications. The same is true for decisions. Decisions are basically the product of a choice between alternative possibilities for action. This is categorical freedom: the freedom of choice which is derived precisely from man’s innate nature of categorization. Categorical freedom though is bound by its very namesake, categories. Although humans are a species of categories, they can only truly categorize when there is an observable, empirical, objectified ‘truth.’ Categorization and decisions in actions are bound by the physical capability of action, as colors are categorized by what we have defined, and by what we see. Objectification is a precursor to categorization. What then of the truth that is person hood? The human person cannot truly be objectified, by virtue of the fact that one cannot objectify itself. This then provides evidence that categorization can only go so far. The human person then is faced with the superabundant reality that a reality exists. When then we are faced with the entire idea of reality, we are faced with the question, “do I choose to accept this reality?” These existential questions that lay beyond the realm of categorization are precisely what we call transcendental freedom. In this case there is only a single answer to be made, “yes” or “no.” Categorical freedom understands that choices can be made, and alternatives are there to suit the choice. Transcendental freedom understands that at the very foundation of everything, the initial question is that of reality.

4. Concerning this human identity, explain:

i) that it did not always exist

Human identity is something that is formed. It is a life long process. It is not something that is automatically there when we are born, but it is a characteristic that all humans will develop.. When we are children, we lack fundamental stance and because of this, our identity and actions are easily swayed and influenced by external factors like our family, friends and society in general. We have not, as of then, yet chosen a certain path by which we will live our lives.

ii) how was it formed

There are certain characteristics that we cannot change like our gender, race, and physical attributes. More importantly though, there are characteristics that are self-determined, which constitutes a significant portion of who we are. Therefore, we actively participate in this process of building ourselves until we assume a certain stance. That instant, that defining stance is what we refer to as fundamental option. We can say that as we make categorical decisions as we go on with life, it defines us and we find that we are turning into a certain kind of person and that is the fundamental stance.

5. Clarify the three observations of O’Connell concerning the fundamental option.

The first observation of O’Connell about fundamental option states that, “we approach the concept in this rather circuitous way.” The main focus remains in the fundamental stance because this is the identity of the person. His chosen stance defines what kind of an individual he is becoming. Fundamental option is that instance that the person realizes his fundamental stance. Therefore, when we talk about fundamental option, we also, ultimately, are concerned about the fundamental stance.

Another observation is that the fundamental option does not exist all by itself. We cannot separate fundamental option from categorical freedom that has helped shaped the identity of the human being. In other words, we cannot separate fundamental option from other decisions and actions in our lives because our identity is reflected on the things that we usually do or the kind of decisions we habitually make.

Third, fundamental option is not a once-and-for-all reality. It is important to understand that fundamental option is dynamic; it can change and may even be reversed. It is also possible that it may be heightened. What is important is that we recognize that the fundamental option may be temporary and the individual might find the need to change himself as he realized that he no longer wants to be that person he has become.

6. What is the fourth dimension and what is its relevance in our understanding of the human person?

Time is considered to be the fourth dimension. Its relevance to our understanding of the human person is that to fully understand the human person, a certain amount of effort in time must be undertaken. Another relevance of this to understanding the human person is that growth, especially in the moral sense is seen only through the passage of time. Since we are all subject to change and seek out answers as to our identity and so on, all this can only be done in the context of time. Human beings live a life that is progressive, continuous, and in time.

7. Why is all sin a form of idolatry?

All sins are to be, almost if not all, a form of idolatry for a number of reasons. We know that the given definition of sin is defiance to God, and also doing wrong to other people. Given this, we consider sin a form of idolatry precisely because we disobey God and all the responsibilities he has given us. We put another thing, whether act or object above God. Something then becomes important enough to surpass God’s will. Sin is also considered a form of idolatry because of our pride in the sense that we try to outclass Him and refuse whatever His plans are for us. The issue of self-sufficiency could be one also because our dependency to God lessens and we try to have it all. This means that we do not depend on God anymore and seek to be independent through our own effort especially on the moral and spiritual aspect

8. What is the social dimension of sin; why is sin against neighbor ultimately a sin against God too?

We consider a sin to our neighbors a sin against God as well for a number of reasons. One is that pride makes us believe that whatever wrong actions done could be done by other people by imitating the act that can spread throughout that particular society. Another thing why we consider this as such is because we in effect have failed in our commitment to God by not loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. Also, we refuse to follow, either intentionally or unintentionally, God and whatever He plans us to do. Lastly, since we are created in His image and likeness, we can say that God is present among all of us and when transgress against others, we could say that we have sinned against God. A possible proof to further support this is a verse from Matthew 25:40 wherein “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” We are called to splagchnizomai. Denying others our love and respect directly disobeys our God given mission. We in this sense transitively deny God the love and respect he deserves.

9. Regarding original sin:

i. How is it understood popularly among Catholics?

The popular belief among Catholics is that original sin originated because of an act done by Adam and Eve. They sinned by acting against God’s will and therefore made us sinners as well. Adam and Eve committed actual sin that is sin is an act that defies the covenant made with God. We can look at actual sin as the moment of rejecting the Lord so because Adam and Eve had gone against God’s wishes they had committed actual sin. Because of this their act, the sin is passed on to the next generation. That is to say that original sin is like actual sin only that it is the sin we did not commit. Original sin is a result of the sin committed by your ancestors and even though you yourself did not commit the act you are guilty of it. Due to this common understanding most Catholics are confused or embarrassed about it. In connection to the belief of original sin, Catholics believe forgiveness can only be attained through Baptism, where we are forgiven for original sin.

ii. Especially, in what sense is actual sin paradigmatic, and original sin derived from actual sin?

Based on the traditional vision, the root understanding of sin is that it is an act. Actual sin is paradigmatic because it became the basis for our definition of sin. Even if there are three definitions people concentrated on the definition of sin as just an act and did not go beyond it. In doing so they also associated this definition (of sin as an act) with the other definitions of sin that is to say original sin is understood in the way of actual sin because it is the paradigm of understanding. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and therefore acted against God’s will. It was something they did that was sinful; their action was sin. This understanding of sin could be termed ‘actual sin’. Because original sin is a result of an act of sin, it might be right to say that original sin is derived from actual sin. Original sin can only be understood in the context of actual sin, because original sin is a variation of the paradigm of actual sin. If there were no act that is to say no actual sin from Adam and Eve then there would also be no original sin.

iii. Why is this explanation/understanding unsatisfactory?

This traditional view of sin is unsatisfactory mainly because it focuses on actions alone. To define sin as an act is not enough. It is thought to be a mere violation against God’s will, there is no consideration for the depth of the person. The explanation of sin is shallow in a sense that it does not explore the different aspects of a person; they do not explore his or her intention or the circumstances or even moral law. The understanding of sin is clearly shown as an act and nothing beyond that. A better explanation should include what sin can do to you. It should include how sin can affect the decisions you make.

10. Convince me that you understand the relationship between sin as FACT, ACT, and DIRECTION as proposed by O’Connell, and why is this a more satisfactory explanation.

Sin is fact, because our experience of sin started with knowing of sin’s existence. When we were growing up we had this notion of wanting to be better, to be as much as possible perfect. We wanted happiness and excitement and ultimately we wanted to be in heaven. However, there is something that is holding us back. That is sin. We express a knowledge of “wrong.” Sin is an act because it is through the doing of evil, and even the not doing of the good, we fail to obey God’s vocation for us to be in His image, the image of being good. Therefore, we sin whenever we fail to meet what we think God has called us to do. Sin is a direction because sin can affect our decisions in life. We stand on a crossroad, a decision to choose between sinning, the path of evil, or living a Christ-like life, the path of good. It is a lifelong spiritual battle between doing the good and doing the evil. It becomes the rudder of our life.

To understand the relationship between sin as Fact, Act and Direction is a more satisfactory explanation mainly because it does not show us a paradigm, that is, it is not limited to one explanation or understanding of sin because it goes beyond mere actions. It explains that sin is present and delves into the state of a person, how sin affects him. It has a broader view on the definition of sin because of the this broader viewpoint people are not restricted to thinking of human being as an agent but more importantly, human being as a person.

Mic is Gay. (For a Day)

2008-10-16T23:54:00.000+08:00

watch out for this one. i went to a gay bar, and my masculinity survived. I'm to tired to update this now. Laterz bitches!

Scandalous Part 2... THES-QS 2008 is out.

2008-10-16T16:53:00.000+08:00

Okay... so THES-QS 2008 is out
At least it seems Philippine universities have made an effort to improve.
So... kudos to Philippine universities... and yun... basta... There are methodology problems, and no one really believes this.

UP- 274
DLSU- 415
UST- 470

and

AdMU- 254
This is not right. UP is UP. It is UP.

Eyes Bleeding

2008-10-13T10:49:00.000+08:00

I have been watching too many independent films. It's always been a hobby of mine, going to free movie sites, video stores on sale, art film showings... all for those addictive indies...
Poverty.
Sex.
Opression.

Then I had to dream I was IN Shortbus.
OMG.
Never again. Damn you misterhubs.

The Great Laptop Hunt

2008-10-08T06:50:00.000+08:00

It's that time in life where your parents decide your computer is too slow, and your software is too outdated. So, they decide to get you a new laptop. :) I've narrowed down the choices to 2 models... and all you have to do is help me decide... Give your feedback.

The 1st is the ASUS F9E:

CPU Type	Intel Core 2 Duo
CPU Speed	1.86 GHz
Internal Memory	2 GB
Hard Drive Size	160 GB

12'' screen 4.2 lbs.

It of course runs on Vista

The 2nd is a Mac Book:

CPU Type	Intel Core 2 Duo
CPU Speed	2.1 GHz
Internal Memory	1 GB or 2 GB
Hard Drive Size	120 GB

13'' screen 5 lbs.

Runs on OX Leopard

Both are wifi capable and have a webcam and microphone. The ASUS has thumbmark identification and facial recognition software. The Mac is virus free for life. It's gonna be hard finding Mac software though... example... I need SPSS for my thesis. Can I find SPSS for Macs? I highly doubt that. :( Input is needed while I research :D.

Whistling Works

2008-10-07T17:43:00.000+08:00

First, allow me to congratulate my honorable, proficient, and diligent friends from De La Salle University ID105 who have recently graduated. To my beloved, LR45ers, you all share a special place in my heart. You are true friends, and truly wonderful people. Godspeed in your future endeavors.

Secondly, the following essay was meant to be written last Friday, and as to maintain the level of emotion I had originally planned for this essay, I will do a pseudo Kronos and turn back time.

I lost four friends yesterday.
It's one of those things that you know happen to people, but you rely on the statistical fact that it can almost never happen to you. Of course, Murphy's law has a nasty back bite. I had 2 term papers to write for school. One was a 12 page paper for my Ethics class, and the other was my cognitive research project. I was done with both, except for finishing touches on my cognitive research project, so I volunteered to edit, print, and submit the compiled ethics paper of my group. I'm just nice like that. My ethics class was at 10:30 in the morning. I had planned the whole day carefully. I would wake up at 6, start up my laptop, and start editing the compiled paper. I would be done by 7:30. I would have the paper printed at the net cafe nearby, then leave the neighborhood by 8. I would reach school at 9:30, and all would be well. Unfortunately, things went wrong.

-I woke up at 6, and checked my email. None of my group mates had uploaded their work.
-I waited until 7. At 7:15 I discovered that they had uploaded their papers, but had chosen not to send the "new file uploaded" email. I began editing the paper.
-None of them followed the specified format, so I had to format everything.
-My MS Word broke down, so I had to relocate to the internet cafe at 7:45. They only had Open Office (scourge of all students).
-I finished editing the paper at 8. I had it printed.
-The printer printed at a rate of one page a minute. The paper was 82 pages long.
-When the printing reached page 60, they discovered that they ran out of ink, and pages 40-60 were cut in places, and were unreadable.
-I panicked and called my group mates at 9:10. No one picked up.
-At 9:20 I got to contact a group mate, and I told her to print pages 60-82. Right after that conversation, the cafe worker informed me that they fast drafted pages 40-60. They could have done that earlier, but they chose to have me wait an eternity.
-I left the neighborhood at 9:25. I asked my mom to bring me to school, since it takes an hour to get from the house to Ateneo in a car.
-There was a vehicular accident in Quirino. Traffic.
-There was a vehicular accident in EDSA-Guadalupe. Traffic.
-We had to reroute through Pasig.
-Fr. David gives automatic Fs to late papers.
-This paper was 30% of our final grade.
-I was late for class.

They wouldn't even look at me. No one asked what happened, and no one answered me when I asked them what I had missed. It was my fault, sure, as I should have edited it earlier, and true enough, the final avoidable instance lay with me. Legally it is my fault. I don't deny it. What hurts though is that whatever friendship I had with them, formed through the infinite number of shared activities we had to endure under Fr. David's instruction, was destroyed by a singular instance. We had inside jokes that only we understood. We had shared insights that were formed by hours of philosophical reflection. We had our memories of touring the City of Manila together. We were each others consolation. We supported each other through the whole of what was a seemingly unbearable class. Fr. David forced us together, and we somehow made do with the coerced cluster. We became genuine friends. I broke that friendship. I guess friendships, much like elements don't form true bonds under artificial circumstances.
What then can one do about broken friendships? I would try to apologize, but really, in such a situation, even I couldn't forgive myself. Would anyone take a rushed apology seriously? Apologizing right after a disheartening act would seem artificial, almost routine. What people fail to understand is that I am not one of those who simply know their pain. Their grades are now shot. It's entirely my fault. My grade is affected as well. I don't care though. I feel their pain. It's more than guilt. It's anguish. Their anguish is my anguish. It's funny, looking back at the car ride to school. I was literally bawling my eyes out, pulling my hair and scratching my face. A bit melodramatic I know, but how best to express anguish than by self mutilation and emotional outrage. Empathy is a curse, not a virtue.
What then can I do but sit stoic ly in my chair, humming "Young Folk" by Peter Bjorn and John. I can't whistle, but the melody would be the Trans-Pop equivalent of All American Rejects' "Move Along." Really, what can anyone do in such a situation but take it in stride. So there I was, twiddling my thumbs, and humming like an idiot. Chillax was the word of the day. When the bell rang, they approached Fr. David, asking if he would still accept the paper. He did. They returned to their seats around mine, gathered their things, and left me sitting alone. I guess I did deserve it, but it doesn't hide the fact that the entire experience hurt. It's Murphy's way of saying, "told you so."
So, friends were lost, and I took the day in stride. The day never improved, and I ended up tearing up on the commute way to my Mom's office. That's how it works. Who am I to complain?

Damn You Mother Huffer.

2008-09-25T13:58:00.000+08:00

I despise you, trash talking mother huffer.

wanna see a finger?

,,l,,

ayan na finger mo.

Vanity: Backtracking Meterosexual High School

2008-09-24T08:29:00.000+08:00

It began in second year highschool when I joined the chorale. I wasn't a very neat person, and since Kinder, I had been known as a dirty, messy, klutz. The chorale then was my introduction to a self aesthetic. All the clean looking pretty voiced people around me sort of affected my world view. Unkemptness is unacceptable in a sparky clean choir world. how then did i respond to the call of the aesthetic? How did every non sports playing geek answer the call to the aesthetic? A vanity kit of course.We called them kikay kits, and every mamma born high school boy had one. Mine was the kikay kit to end all kikay kits. My kikay kit was a kikay bag :D. I don't keep a kikay kit anymore... since I have found no need in keeping an aesthetic front, but I still like to reminisce on the 3 years in highschool, and my many fond memories with my wonder kikay bag... I'll enumerate what was inside... it's funny really.

1. Green Cross Isopropyl alcohol 70% (150mL bottle): Of course, everyone has alcohol in their kikay kit. Multipurpose... to wash your hands... to rinse your soiled sneakers... to clean your desk... to add in your milo so your crazy friend can drink a pseudo bailey's...

2. Lush Chocolate Whipstick (It's lip gloss with flavor): My lip gloss is special :) Choco flavored! I loved the stuff! everyone used to want my lip gloss... but no one was willing to spend 500 bucks for a kulangots worth :p. It's still available in Lush I think... 500 bucks for a kulangot's worth... hahahaha.

3. Nivea Essential Lip Balm: I was thorough. I would apply lip balm incessantly on my lips, as to keep them moist and feeling supple. The whipstick (above) is only applied in the morning, and after meals. The Nivea lip balm was for "every 5 minutes" use :p.

4. Listerine Pocketpaks Cinnamon Flavor: It was never mint for me :) my breath was always Cinnamon fresh :p if ever fresh at all... I used to go through packs of these in a week. These were my cigarettes.

5. Bath & Body Works' Vanilla Brown Sugar or Vitoria's Secret Vanilla scents: My scent of choice has always been Vanilla. It's only last year that I shifted to White Ginger. I AM SUCH A GIRL. My prom date was allergic to Vanilla... so prom was fun :).

6. Vaniila Brown Sugar hand soap: I think the DLSU peeps lived to see this in our Comparative anatomy class. i stopped buying it after Compana because it became useless to bring hand soap to school.

7. Avon Clay Facial Wash: It's a mud mask, and a facial wash in one! It was the most effective facial wash I had encountered. I can't find a picture of it though.

8. Avon's pimple drying thing: I can't find it anymore, but they used to have this sort of roll on thing that you apply to your pimpled areas, and the pimples would shrivel up and die!!!

9. Colgate Fresh Confidence: I still use this until now :) I love the minty fresh taste it leaves your mouth with... It's like Candy Canes at Christmas...

10. Papier Poudre: I AM SUCH A GIRL. It's oil control film with powder... i used to have a book of this, but I used it rarely... usually only if I get to go onstage or something.

11. Gatsby Oil Control Film: everyone had this, or the Clean and Clear counterpart. I chose Gatsby because it was manlier. It's an uber gay product, and so I found need to make it seem a bit more manly.

12. Gatsby Cooling Wipes: This was mostly for those after school hours Chorale or Tennis practices that left you sweaty, smelling foul, and needing a bath. I wipe up, and it's as if I'm good as new. The cooling effect of these miracle wipes is a godsend.

13. Nail cutter set: This includes nail cutter, toe nail cutter, file, buffer, swiss army knife, the sharp thing they use to clean dirt from your toe nails, and a nail brush.

14. Toothbrush: mine was a generic Colgate toothbrush :) It was orange. It was always orange.

15: Kleenex: of course I had tissue paper... for blowing my nose, wiping my table, wiping my perspiration off... kinky stuff (joke) et al. I love kleenex.

16. A face towel: for my general wiping pleasure :)

17. Skin so Soft Cooling Lotion: again with the cooling theme. It's so you feel clean, although you really aren't :p.again, for cooling and feeling clean purposes. Also for kinky time. (again, joke.)

18. Johnson and Johnson's Baby Powder: Who doesn't have this in their bag, right?

17. A spray bottle of distilled water: This is what I use to wipe my face with. I spritz some distilled water on my face before wiping :)

18. A "gift bag": Cellphones weren't allowed in my High school, but having one was a social as well as practical necessity, so what I did was I wrapped my cellphone in a shirt, and slipped it into a gift bag, which I would seal, and add a birthday card to. :) Whenever surprise inspections were held, they never opened my gift to "Maria" HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. They never wondered why I brought a gift to school everyday...

The other things are unmentionable... in whatever sense you interpret unmentionable as, is up to you...

Anyway... Maybe I should start with the excessive grooming again... I used to be overly... kikay, and it did wonders for me. :) Too bad the same wonders can't be bequeathed unto me anymore... Sigh... That's college for you.

Sigwa: Sa Pagpalipas ni Haring Habagat

2008-09-24T07:25:00.000+08:00

Manong felt like new.

I rode a taxi again today from Sta. Mesa to Ateneo, just to be able to make it in time for a Philo group meeting my friends and I were having. The meeting was at 9:30. I checked my watch, and it was 9:03, and I had still not gotten a cab. I was desperate. A taxi finally stopped in front of me, but as I was waiting for the occupant to disembark, an old couple in their late 60s came from behind and entered the cab, with the previous passenger still inside.Of course the previous passenger, the driver, and I were shocked. I began to tell the old man who had taken the front seat that I had rights to this taxi, but then he merely shrugged me away and gave directions to the driver. They were going to Cubao to watch a movie. I come from a good natured albeit odd Filipino Catholic family that values respect for the aged. My family also respects individual rights. So I guess they'll have to forgive me when I banged on lolo's window and said, "It's old people like you and your inconsiderate, brash generation that trained the current generation to be self serving thieves who care merely for their own interests." Then I looked at lola in the back seat and said, "You should be ashamed of yourselves. You people don't deserve my respect, or anyone else's for that matter. No matter how old you may be. It's people like you who screwed up the Philippines, leaving us with an unkempt, morally depraved society. TAXI THIEVES!" Lolo was furious. but he motioned to the taxi driver to go ahead instead. I'm sure he wanted to give me a lecture on what he did in his youth and middle age to help Philippine society, just as every old bastos coot in Manila wants to do, but the reality is that rationalizing your brash behavior now by citing past reference to good works is futile. Society, and maybe even God, doesn't look at what you were, but rather, what you've become. If you're a bastos old coot now, that's what matters. Screw the fact that you're the chairman of the parish social committee, or that you worked for greenpeace in your youth. If you don't respect me, that means you don't know squat about human dignity.

I HATE Taxi Thieves.

A Show of Support

2008-09-23T10:00:00.000+08:00

Aaah yes, right where they belong. On the floor.

On to the Championship then?

We love you kuya Nonoy :p

Kami first fans niyan. (Arrha pinaka una)

Chowder Snake

2008-09-19T11:48:00.000+08:00

Figure 1: Chowder

Odd scene as I was on my way to school. I was walking to the turnstyles of the LRT station, and a chatty young couple was behind me. They were about my age, and they definitely weren't hiding the fact that they're sexually active. Anyway, they were giggling, their hands seemingly glued to indiscriminate body parts of the other, and suddenly they started talking about fear. A disturbing snippet of said conversation:

A: How about snakes?

B: Yeah! I hate snakes! They're like vermin. They're pests! (a metaphor and a simile of the same derived thought... priceless)

A: Hmmm, what about Chowder Snakes?

B: Oh! I LOVE Chowder Snakes! They're the best, but I like only one Chowder Snake...

A: Oh yeah? What's That?

B: *Giggles*

That was definitely one of the weirdest conversations I had ever eavesdropped on. I swear.

Again, to those who don't get it... Click on the "Chowder Snakes" with a hyperlink above to find out what they really were talking about.

The New Rizal Library

2008-09-17T14:40:00.000+08:00

Like.... HWOW MY GARSH!!!! It's 6 stories tall... *drool* *drool* *drool* and aside from this new 6 storey library which will hold the General Circulation, Media, and Online Access Laboratories, we still have the Old Rizal Library which will hold the special collections like the American Historical Collection, The Ateneo Library of Women's Writings, the Filipiniana Collection, the Microform room, and I guess they might build Matteo type meeting rooms and individual rooms in the old lib building (hoping). COME TO EXISTENCE ALREADY NEW RIZAL LIB (which I will nickname Meron Lib because they'll build it ON TOP of Meron Pond)

Congrats Marie!

2008-09-17T09:04:00.000+08:00

I would just like to congratulate my blockmate

Marie La Viña

She won third place for poetry (English) in the 2008 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature for her work "The Gospel According to the Blind Man"

You are sooooo my idol now :) More power to you!

She deserves it. She's really good, and she's been writing forever. As in.

Mickeyspot

psd class

If I Wish Hard Enough.

Post Mortem 3

Person.

Disheveled

It is Me.

flowchart

The New Library Hall and Kinks about it.

Rebuilding Me

Rebuilding Me

My Day and Humanism

Tuition Complaints LAST FREAKIN' SEM IN ATENEO

Simulan Na

Ika'y Bubuohin

Atenean pride post 2009 and the THES QS 2009

Yearbook Write-Up: Mic Needs Writers

Books.

Alternative Preferences

Why Did You Leave Me Hoping

Schedule and Tuition Complaints 1st Sem 2009-2010

Ordinaire Deux

summer assesment

The Semesteral Post of... Uber Thank-ness

T-Shirt: Male Version

Manong Guard and Friendster

Sobrino :'(

~

Curly Top (Unfinished)

Finality

A Farewell to Mikecab

Four New Messages

Sa May Muro

files files

Man-dates: Medjo P.I.

Dedicate Home (Sharing Observed Poverty) Conclusion for Now

Dedicate Home (Sharing Observed Poverty) 5

Dedicate Home (Sharing Observed Poverty) 4

Dedicate Home (Sharing Observed Poverty) 3

Dedicate Home (Sharing Observed Poverty) 2

A Horse and His Boy

The Dead on Rainy Days

Stephen King on Stephanie Meyer

The *maniacal laughter* Senate

Wanted: Thesis Topic

My Bloodtest Results

The Indies and Drawn Blood

Jurjurethics 3: Glory Holes and Anarchy

THAT Orgasmic Song

The Politically Incorrect Post (Please Don't Kill Me)

Resume

Med Specialty Aptitude Test (A Kiddy Pre Med View)

10 Things Atenean can do to Save the Environment

10 Things the atenean can do to save the Environment

Dark Jesus

Ordinaire

Sakit Ng Ulo

Boy Positibo

I Don't Shine if You Don't Shine.

Green and Red. Purple and Pink.

My Busmate is an Underwear Model

Final Answer.

Pinoy Kanto Twilight

Imagined Poverty

Economics for Poverty

Ranting.

A Failed Catholic University

Famous People, Famous Words.

The Social Project NEW UPDATES and TO DO LIST

The Final WIsh

Pet Lion

PLEASE READ The Social Idea (Need Partners)

Jurjurethics 2: The Satyriatic Nerdoks

The Annual AdMU-UP-MC Wet T-Shirt Competition!

Paperchaser

Rihanna disappointed me.

We Will. We Should. We Might.

Ateneans: Public Schools Need You for a DAY.

The Final Schedule for 2nd Sem 2008 (As in Final)

Jurjurethics 1

The maniacal laughter Senate